Recently, Mrs. Simmons and Ms. Grace, with the help of recently graduated journalists Rylie Patrick and Ashtyn Pierce, held auditions for this year’s school musical, The Addams Family.  The cast is growing more and more eager to bring the infamous family to life as the show dates rapidly approach.

On August 17th, when auditions were held, the theatre kids of Herrin High flocked to the doors of the chorus room.  Each student sang a cut of a song of their choice, and were sent off to prepare for their return the next day.  The second half of auditions were held on August 18th, and consisted of cold reads.  A cold read is when an excerpt from the script is given to the selected person and they are assigned a character to act as with very little time for preparation, which tests their acting abilities.  Going into a cold read, generally the only thing the auditionees know is what they have researched about the character.  After auditions were out of the way, the kids anxiously awaited the cast list.

Friday, August 19th, was the day of reckoning.  At 3PM, the cast list was posted.  The soon-to-be cast darted to the bulletin board outside the office to see who got what.

Now that the cast list has been released, it is time for rehearsals to begin.  The actors have been putting their best effort into their practices.

When asked about his perspective as a first-time performer, Jarret Coleman, a senior said, “I want to try everything once, and a musical was next on the list.”  There are many people who are excited to see his premiere on the stage, including his family and friends.  He said that he thought the most nerve-wracking part of the show would be singing in front of other people.  Coleman vocalized that he thought the best parts would be putting on the costume and makeup, and receiving reassurance from the crowd during bows.  He stated that, “While I am extremely nervous, I think it will be something I look back on and think, ‘I’m glad I did that.’”

Rachael Reams, a freshman, voiced that she was excited for her first high school production, and that she hopes it will go smoother than shows in the past.

Kat Weaver, a junior, and Scott Frasier, a senior, lovingly named ‘Kit’ and ‘Squirt’ by the cast, relayed that the best part of playing the role was just that: playing the role.  Weaver said she had a new-found confidence in the character, and Frasier told us that he simply loved being able to be Gomez.  They agreed that the worst part of the role was the pressure of portraying such iconic characters.  When asked about their on-stage romance, Weaver told us “It was super awkward at first,” but Frasier emphasized that “Kat is a fantastic person, she’s been very nice to me and she’s helped me become comfortable in the role.”

Putting together a show takes a lot of decisions and coordination.  Luckily, Mrs. Simmons laid it all out for us.  First, she has to decide on the show, and in order to decide, she has to take into account what the best show will be for the returning participants she knows she will have.  Second, she has to do (what feels to be mountains) of paperwork to get the rights and royalties to the show and get it paid for.  Then, she has to get the sets and costumes organized, rehearsals planned and executed, and so much more.  Her expectations for this show are through the roof, as she is extremely pleased with the talent of the cast and hopes that they will have a packed house.

Mrs. Simmons wishes that “more people would get involved, because they don’t know what they are missing.”  If you are interested in seeing the show, be sure to head out to the Herrin Civic Center at 7PM on October 7th and 8th!  Tickets are sold at the door starting 30 minutes before the curtain goes up. It is $10 for adults, $5 for students, kids 5 and under are free.