The ZOMBIES are back!
The WG DRAMA Dept. had a wonderful time (even in) COVID and finally got to produce a full length show with a bigger cast. It was a perfect time for a rambunctious comedy. We stayed safe, always wore our masks, and got around 60 students to come to the theater to work on a show.
This was a good sign we can start moving towards normal again...(whatever that is)
Showcard design by Teddy Woldow (6th Hour Tech Theater)
The idea was to come back to school and not have to wear masks anymore cause the vaccine was approved and this was going to be a brand new school year without COVID. How wrong we were.
So, instead...at the very beginning of the school year we completely scrapped the original season we had planned, and instead just figured out the first production. We made some quick decisions, applied for our licensing and made the announcement of the show and auditions at the start of the year.
We had done this script about 10 years ago, but it was in the old Little Theater. We are a different department now, we are on the other side of campus and so we decided to do a revival staged in the one and only Jerry R Knight Auditorium.
We gave it a full scale production
on much bigger stage than last time!
AUDITIONS
We had a great turn out and a lot of new faces came out for a part in this show. The great thing about this play is that we were able to offer everyone who auditioned a part. If they weren't offered a speaking role, they could always be a ZOMBIE...
AND WE GOT A LOT OF ZOMBIES!!!!
Therese Schuster on stage as the "Doctor Zombie"
We were also extremely lucky to be able to align our production with Halloween weekend, it fit perfectly, and really helped get us some nice audiences for each night of the show.
Once we got our amazing cast figured out and placed all of the techies into the crews, we got rolling with rehearsals and initial tech meetings. Mr. Schaefer worked with the cast in the WG Black Box Theater and Miss Pettey began running some pre-production meetings in the Theater Classroom to talk costumes, props and make-up.
THE PROGRAM (Playbill)
The Narrators and the Teenagers!
(Collette, Teddy, Xavier, Ciana, Maddie, and George)
The Zombies!!!
(check out the program above for names)
The Techies!
(from left to Right, back then front)
Sarah, Margo, Adreonna, James, James, Joe,
Iona, Zoie, Fynn, Hannah, and Miss Pettey
We spent quite a bit of time and energy on getting the word out about the show. We chose to run the show leading up to Halloween weekend in hopes to get more people to come. We decorated several display cases, bought ads and inserts in the Webster Kirkwood Times and the ECHO. We made T-shirts, participated in the Activities Fair on Selma, and we made our usual banners and posters.
The marketing proved to be successful. We had great audiences all three nights of the show, and the they seemed to be enjoying the wackiness.
While we were still in rehearsals, we did a preliminary make-up and costume test and got dressed up for a ZOMBIE RAID of the Jazz band's concert on the front steps. Some members of the cast handed out flyers and made an announcement to the crowd.
The Webster Kirkwood Times ad we placed for additional PR
The slide designed for the digital monitors in the high school hallways.
This puts the information for the show right in the sight line of the students as they pass between their classes the week of the show.
T-Shirt Design for the show.
Designed by Mary Gibson in Tech Theater Class.
Mr Schaefer's partner Brian posing with one of the show shirts
we printed in our very own Makerspace at the high school.
The ECHO is always a great support and
we usually buy an insert in the issue closest to opening night.
Our hallway banners were designed by Millie Thum and Mr Schaefer. We also put signs on all of the doors that take you into the theater. This was a great visual that got people talking about the show!
The Senior Entrance is a great place for our main display. Millie Thum and Mr Schaefer came in over the weekend and put up an amazing display that eventually included the headshots of the cast.
They also created a three piece display outside of the library that was really eye catching!
The SHOW
Miss Pettey was a master at getting the cast and crew to gather for instruction on the evening's activities. With so many students involved, it was like herding cats!!!
Costumers Molly Ryan, Molly Woodfin, Sarah Pines and Mary Gibson behind the costume crews management table. This show had sooooo many pieces to it, and this crew ran it like a well oiled machine each night!
Mackenzie Miller who was in the Technical Theater class, also came in after school to help out. Here she is working on some last minute set painting and detailing.
BACKSTAGE
The Backstage area was covered with signage to help the actors and techies stay on the right part of the show. This play moves so quickly and has has so many scenes our stage management team (Samantha, Rockwell and Adreonna) all worked together to make the show flow smoothly.
MAKE-UP
Miss Pettey organized a team to help apply the make-up and do the hair for all of the Zombies and other cast members. We had quite a bit to get done in the two hours leading up to the show each night. It took some practice, but everyone came together and worked hard.
Maddie getting her hair prep'd Teddy getting hair slicked back
Aidan Owens getting turned into a zombie and Richard waiting to get started.
MJ working on taming Calvin's mane and Miss Pettey getting Colette into her blond wig.
Xavier's hair getting the once over by Miss Pettey
Miss Pettey turned George into the nerdy Sam each night
with spit curls laid perfectly on the forehead.
Many of the cast members had never done anything like this before.
This was Elijah's first high school play and he did great being zombie in the ensemble!
Cast members doubled and helped as techies.
Here is Isaac doing zombie make-up on Therese.
The zombies were divided into two groups and they alternated each scene so they could take a break from being the walking dead throughout the show.
(pictured right) Taking a break stage right during the show.
Working on homework while waiting to on...
There were always zombies coming and going, but phones still needed to be charged
The Black Box Theater was the main backstage area or "green room" for this show, but the backstage wings were also a very busy space during the run.
Signage helped keep things clear for the cast.
The Techies united for this challenging show!
Lots of new faces came out to operate the boards and follow spots.
We also needed someone on projection and sound effects.
(pictured left to right: MJ, James, Hannah, and Joe)
We used a background image that was projected onto the cyc so that we could have the titles of the chapters appear throughout the show as the narrators advanced the lessons for the audience.
Mr. Schaefer had set up the cordless microphones in the orchestra pit so that we could get the best signal, sound check/level and to ultimately avoid most feedback.
The equipment is easily borrowed from the Black Box Theater.
Zodiac being patient while waiting to take the stage
as our punk rock zombie.
PROPS
Miss Pettey organized a great group of students who took on the properties for this show, and there were quite a few to track. We had 12 lessons for the audience total and each one had at least one prop, but then of course there were all of the bloody body parts.
Can't have a zombie story without lots of bloody body parts...
Ciana got to use the anti-matter cannon and we had maps.for the boys to find there way.
The UFO was a great scene and Iona build a wonderful prop that actually lit up as well!
We had binoculars that got passed between the teenagers and grenades!
The walker was used in the opening scene, but then Granny became a zombie!
OH the BLOODY BODY PARTS!
Karson as a Schnuck's zombie Therese as the Doctor zombie
Isaac as the swimmer zombie Aidan as the biker zombie
Millie was a little girl zombie
COSTUMES
Miss Pettey's costume crew had a ball making all of the crazy characters
and then making them all into bloody zombies. They used felt and hotglue to make some of the logos from local Webster Groves businesses too.
Gavin was our Starbuck's barista
Richard as the boyscout, going in for the kill!
Our bloody princess... Our crazy clown (Bex) and Sophia as construction worker
Each costume was assembled from the measurement and everyone got a zombie mouth mask.
Mr Schaefer ordered several different looks and they were washed after every show.
The zombies all had many parts to their costumes and they had to make sure they kept track of the pieces so that they could wear the same thing every show. It was a big area, there were lots of people, we had a rather complex set, and things could get lost easily. The cast did a great job keeping it running smoothly.
The COSTUME "DREAM" TEAM
also got to design the completely different looks
for our two amazing Narrators!
Teddy and Colette did a great job keeping the tempo of the shop moving.
They were a real classic duet comedy act.
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Colette played a total diva! Teddy was the military doomsday prepper
After each lesson they would reappear and get the next chapter started...
Sometimes they disagreed... Sometimes they got themselves in the story.
...and then there were
the four wacky Teenagers
Ciana Jackson, George Lumpke, Maddie Gibson, and Xavier Jurotich
Each scene gave the teenagers a chance to survive...
They tried all sorts of tactics to get through the apocalypse.
Ciana as Susan, the "popular girl. George as our nerd Sam.
Xavier as Jimmy doing some product placement...
Maddie as Cristy nursing a bum ankle and Sam (George) using Kung Fu
HUDDLE!!
The actors worked very well together on stage and in rehearsals to find a real chemistry with these crazy characters. The script really asked a lot of their imagination and creativity. They are also required to do some physical comedy. The show is fast paced and tests each of them by giving them all a couple of scenes that their character carries. Then there are some that they share as a team or with a scene partner. There are monologues and many times where they die!
(Then come back to life for the next lesson)
We rehearsed each Mon, Tues, and Thurs leading up to Tech Week.
The Teenagers meet all three days. The Narrators came in for the Mon and Thurs rehearsals.
The Zombies came in for the Thursday rehearsals. This allowed us to build the scene with the dialogue and speaking role's blocking first and then put the zombies into the action little by little.
We created a street in a recent apocalypse. A Storefront, a Bus stop and a small church.
We had a burning pile of trash in the middle of the street and a jeep that had crashed into a road block. Everything was burning and had been graffitied.
Special Thanks to everyone who worked on the show and came out to support the creative arts!
GO SEE MORE PLAYS!!!
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