The Berkley High School drama department, BeDrama, has put on many plays. This fall, they performed Frankenstein vs The Horrendous Goo. With the auditorium under construction and no other space on the Berkley school campus for them to perform, they decided to take the play to the local middle schools – Anderson and Norup – transforming their gym into the perfect setting. This crew worked tirelessly to make the best of the construction and the opportunity to work with a new space. They were able to create a moving set that they had never done before, even working in the boiler room, so they could make the set. It was the perfect way to ensure they could have an ideal set for any location and a great opportunity to learn new skills.
For senior cast member Alise Herron, although appearing in multiple musicals, this was her first-ever play. This meant adapting her typical skills of singing and acting to just focusing on acting. “I had to prioritize acting instead of singing, and it was scary at first. But one of my best friends helped me learn my lines, and the cast really supported me.” One of the best parts, according to Herron, was that the cast and crew of this play a total of 58 members, 13 in the cast and 45 in the crew, created such a community that they were able to work together and make the best out of all the differences they had changed from this year to last year. As a whole, they all were able to bond through this experience and support each other in every role of the play.
The play was set at Dalton School and focused on the chemistry club when they released a goo that sticks to transitional objects. Transitional objects are something that someone holds comfort in; you can’t let go of them. For example, Herron’s character loved her phone and was constantly on it, so the goo would stick to that. The play was even more meaningful because the message was that we shouldn’t be so caught up in our own worlds and should start to realize there are many other things going on. It showed that we need to open our eyes to what is happening around us. The director of this play, John Hopkins, stated that this play was a great opportunity to expand the actors’ range and an appealing show for younger children.
Hopkins and Herron both said the opportunity to work at the middle schools was a great way to show the kids what BeDrama is all about. It was a way to see if anyone would be interested in joining in the future. It was perfect timing, according to Hopkins, “most importantly, we reached our middle school students just in time for auditions next week for our annual Middle School Musical. Mission accomplished!” The first time the play was shown was the day of opening night, when the production was performed for the middle schoolers in the school gymnasium at Norup International. The following night, the play was put on for everyone once again at Norup. The play was then put on again two days later for the whole school of Anderson Middle School, once during the day and then again that night for the general public. It was a huge success with many people excited and engaged by the show. Mr. Hopkins estimates about 1,400 people saw the show, which is amazing, topping their normal attendance numbers for the typical fall plays. Beyond the audience, another aspect of using the gym and practicing in front of the middle schoolers was becoming comfortable with the different acoustics. Instead of using handheld mics, they had to use small microphones taped to the floor so everyone could hear.
The costumes for this play, Herron explained that because the play was set in the school, many cast members were able to design their costumes from their own clothing. This added a unique element by incorporating students’ personal style into the production. The only costume that really needed to be found was an outfit for a teacher. There was one scene where one of the characters had to wait for a chime on her phone as a signal, and that was something new to figure out.
The play itself was a tremendous success, with the success in numbers of attendance, reaching potential middle school prospects, costumes working well, and actors and crew learning new skills. It could not have been better.
