By, Maggee Bleyer (Reporter for Music Department and Interact Club)
Week 9
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Tech week has now approached us! MCHS’s production of Newsies is adding on a new element every day. The cast have been working relentlessly, but they know there’s an amazing award in the end.
Lighting, sound, mics, and everything in between are all brought to you by Tech Week. Tech Week is a week that involves all of the technical elements that comes with the musical. Lighting different parts of the stage in order to make something shine or making sure that music is able to be heard for audience members is not an easy task. To gather the behind-the-scenes information for the annual Tech Week, I talked to Cooper Anderson, sophomore, and Luke Bunting, a graduate from MCHS. This duo knows every little detail behind the technology of MCHS musicals! Last year, during Hello, Dolly! Cooper Anderson was mentored by Luke Bunting--the two have been tackling this difficult but enjoyable job ever since!
I asked Cooper Anderson and Luke Bunting, how long have they been doing lighting for MCHS musicals, what does the whole experience feel like, what is tech week like to them, and what is their favorite part about lighting?
Cooper Anderson: “Counting MCJHS musicals, I’ve been doing lighting for two and a half years. Lighting is a lot more stressful than most people think. I always have to be on my toes so I can get the light cues on the right time. I remember, last year, I was at the high school preparing lights until 11:30 P.M! It takes a lot of work. During tech week, technical elements of the musical such as lighting, microphones, and sound are extremely focused upon. Mainly what I do is prepare light cues with Luke Bunting, who is the main tech guy. We write down every light cue in the musical script. We have to make sure the transitions look as clean as possible so we have the best performance for lights. We have multiple light fixtures that all have different functions for different situations. For example, the stage spotlight is used to give light to someone alone on the center of the stage. Luke and I use a computer program to manually move any light fixture inside the auditorium. By the end of the show, we usually have three hundred or more light cues in the set list! My favorite part of lighting is probably being in my element, which is technology, and having fun with the other members of the tech booth.”
Luke Bunting: “I started sound as a freshman at MCHS five years ago. Sophomore year was when we got our new lighting system and I eventually took over that platform. What I do involves a lot of hard work, programming, and an element of behind-the-scenes work that people don’t really know a whole lot about. However, I enjoy it and enjoy helping make the light/sound department as perfect as possible. I usually put in about ten hours a day working with mics, sound, lighting, live projection, fixing problems, and programming automatic cues during tech week. It is stressful, and can get aggravating at times, but I think it’s worth it. Some of my favorite parts of lighting week is making the automatic cues that nobody knows about, like making lights get ready for their next cue. I do the programming and the sound. Cooper runs through the lighting cues during the show while I run the soundboard. Jaden Norrick runs the music. I enjoy performing these technical elements of musical production for MCHS a lot!”
In week three’s article, I went over the history that inspired the creation of Newsies. During the newsboy strike, Teddy Roosevelt was the governor of New York at the time. In the musical, Governor Teddy Roosevelt is a powerful but happy man who only wants the best for New York and for all of the citizens. Kyle Dunn, junior, is the actor behind Governor Teddy Roosevelt.
I asked Kyle Dunn, what is it like being in a musical for the first time, is it challenging playing this special role, and what is his favorite all-time favorite moment in history?
Kyle Dunn: “Being involved in Newsies, and this being my first musical, has proved to be a fun experience! I have a lot of fun with my friends, like Dyllan Potts--this is also his first musical. It’s been a little difficult to have to adjust my work schedule for the musical, but the end result is worth it! It can be difficult at times to play Teddy Roosevelt because he’s such an outgoing and loud person. Yet, at the same time, it’s a lot of fun playing this role! This role really brings me out of my comfort zone, which is challenging, but equally exciting. My favorite moment to read and learn about in all of history is probably World War II. The effects of WWII were very powerful, and still impact our world today.”
A NOTE FROM THE WRITER:
It's saddening and disappointing to announce that Newsies will not be performed on March 26th-29th due to the closing of the schools because of the coronavirus. I will not be writing any NEWSIES: BEHIND THE SCENES articles until school opens once again. We are all upset and sad about this occurrence in our lives, but the show must go on. Newsies does not end here. Our hearts still beat for this show and our mouths still sing the inspiring songs. For more updates on the musical, check out the MCHS musical's Facebook (MCHS Musicals) and Instagram (@mchsmusicals). I want to thank Cooper Anderson, Luke Bunting, and Kyle Dunn for participating in this article and shining a light within the rain. I also want to thank Kimberly Mandrell and Tracee Bleyer for allowing these articles to happen. Newsies forever!