Behind the Scenes: BGHS 9 to 5

By Nick Allison

Originally, 9 to 5 was a movie made in 1980 as a comedy and thriller, starring country-singing legend Dolly Parton. She would not only star in it, but make a song named after the movie that would blow up. Directed by Colin Higgins, the movie would make 103.3 million dollars at the box office. Now, nearly 44 years later, 9 to 5 comes to the Bowling Green High School stage as a musical officially starting on April 19th-22nd.

Although audience members only see the finished piece, much work and time goes into such musicals. Students must make sacrifices to perfect their show, spending days memorizing every step and lyric to give the most authentic experience. Without such dedication, BGHS plays wouldn't be as amazing as they have been, such as last year's musical, Mamma Mia.

In order to be cast, auditioners would have to do a dance and vocal audition. Everyone is required, even the stage manager, and those simply wanting to be part of the ensemble have to audition for a character. The vocal audition consists of everyone singing a song, specifically to their voice, and reading lines which they’ve never seen before for the character they wish to play. The dance auditions are just simple short parts of the main dances and of course, everyone is required to participate as well.

It's to be expected that school would be a major hurdle for students to overcome when trying to practice, but according to BGHS sophomore Anna Tooley, it's quite the opposite. She states, “It’s been tough personally finding the time to sit down and practice, and also keeping my energy up…obviously life happens sometimes and schedules get busy, but the directors try their best to make accommodations for everyone, and as somebody who does band, choir, theater, and all that, I truly really appreciate them more than they know.”

Another actor and BGHS sophomore, Stone Dieme, says the toughest part for him was scheduling. He goes into detail stating, “Working on a somewhat slim schedule has been the toughest, only meeting mondays, wednesdays, and fridays but we still get our work done.”

Because of such amazing directors, painting the road for the success and well being of the students, those such as Anna have expressed their willingness to do more musicals in the future. Stone, who also says he hasn’t done a musical in some time, says, “I’d do another musical just because it was so fun and I love acting.” 

Others, though, see that the school could improve on assisting the Music and Arts department when it comes to such projects such as the musicals. Such people are those like Morgan Martin, BGHS sophomore and actress playing the lead role Violet in the musical. She explains that, “We do a wonderful job functioning on our own, but it would be very nice to feel as though the rest of  the school has our back. I know I am not alone when I say I'd like to see more representation within the arts. We need to do better.”

It could be said that the school tends to lean towards sports such as Football or Cheerleading more when it comes to support, but this hindrance has been overcome by the band, choir, and strings classes time and time again, proving their determination. 

There will always be some mountain for people to climb in order to succeed, as for Morgan she states, “Personally, I do not see myself as a dancer. It has been tough for me to overcome the mental block that says I can’t do it. But, with the coaching and help from the choreographer and directors, I’ve reached my fullest potential dancing on the stage.” Morgan has been doing musicals since she was 5 years old, and with a fire in her eyes and a dream, she wishes to graduate from BGHS and go to New York University Tisch School for the Arts.

Regardless of the stress, pressure, ups and downs, and expectations, the most important thing for these actors and actresses is to have fun. Without fun, there would be no passion or desire to really try and make the best possible musical. Luckily, the fun seems to be there as stated by Stone, “I’ve absolutely enjoyed the musical, the best part of it is the fun times we have and the friends you make.” Or as stated by Anna, “I’ve had a ton of fun with it so far, my favorite part is that I’m in a ton of different dances with different people so I’ve gotten to get close to a lot of different cast members.”

With optimism and ability to get through the struggles, these cast members have shown true heart for what they love. Putting their blood, sweat, and tears into it, they may be able to make another fantastic musical that will blow people away.