From our young and bright journalists comes their take on the world and our school!

This month, I went out and interviewed my fellow theatre club members in hopes that what they have to say could be of interest to others at Longfields and that both new and old students of Longfields would consider joining to help out with this semester’s theatre production, The Book Women, by Rachel Bublitz.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THEATRE CLUB

What is theatre club?

Theatre club is the incredibly gifted club of people who bring together the amazing school treatre productions that we have each semester at LDH. It consists not only of actors who are actually present on stage during performances, but also of behind-the-scenes crew members who create the makeup, cotumes, set, props, lighting effects, sound effects, advertisments, etc. for the shows.

What is the goal of the club?

The goal of the club is to have fun while creating art that can be performed for the whole school to experience.

Who can join?

Anyone grades 9-12 interested is welcome to the club. For those who are interested, but are in grades 7 or 8, there is an intermediate drama club that is available to join; however, it runs separately. There is no previous experience required to join, just the passion and the willingness to commit to the club.

What does the schedule look like?

Theatre club rehearsals are every Tuesday and Thursday after school for cast members. They start off by ending at 5pm, but progressively they get longer and are eventually extended to 6pm with a few Saturday rehearsals added in the mix as well. On the other hand, the crew member meetings look a little different and really depend on what the team leaders decide. Those meetings are sometimes during lunch or after school on the same days that rehearsals are taking place. In addition, all team leads and those with leadership roles in the clubs meet every Wednesday during lunch to touch base and make sure everyone is on the same page.

What happens at a rehearsal?

Usually, a rehearsal starts off with a few announcements that are given by the directors, then a few warm-up games are played and, after that, actors get to work and begin practising their lines and rehearsing their scenes. At the end of the rehearsal actors will be given some notes, there are a few more announcements made and then everyone is dismissed.

What’s special about theatre club?

The theatre club at LDH is not just a club, it’s a whole community of people who share the same interests and support each other. In the theatre club, we celebrate each other and our talents by going on field trips, planning appreciation nights for various different crews, having opening night dinners every semester, and more! Everything about the theater club is just so positive and that is why it’s so great to join!

INTERVIEW

Q: Could you explain what you or your team do in this club?

A:  “What you do as a cast member is you listen to your directors, learn your lines, write down your blocking, be here on time, and just all the basic things you do in a typical classroom.” - Angelita Lapenskie, Grade 12, cast member

“To me, being a director is really being in charge of your cast. As a director, it’s a bigger responsibility, I have to be in charge of schedules and people and stuff like that, but at the same time I get to be very artistic and passionate, and express myself within the play and the message that the play gives.” - Riley Auger, Grade 12, co-director

“I am one of the two dramaturges for The Book Women, our job is looking at information about the setting, which is historical documentation and especially the specific areas that we’re focussing on in this play. We give that specific information to different teams and the directors so that they can use it.” - Elizabeth Trail, Grade 10, dramaturg and cast member

Q: Why did you choose to join theatre club?

A: “I was told to make friends and I’m dramatic, so theatre fits.” - Riley Auger, Grade 12, co-director

“I was dared to.” - Forrest Cook, Grade 12, stage manager

“I joined because I had friends in it, I wanted theatre experience and I wanted to learn about theatre production.” - Razan Al-Badri, Grade 12, co-head of the scenic design team

“I thought it’d be fun.” - Seb Oursien, Grade 11, cast and hair & makeup team member

“I wanted something to do after school.” - Jayden Jepp, Grade 10, makeup team member

“When I was a kid, my mother couldn’t get me to stick to any sport or any extracurricular other than singing and dance so she decided to put me in musical theatre which was a joint of those two. Now, I have grown up and still enjoy theatre.” - Alex Walker, Grade 11, wardrobe team member

A: “I like theatre because I’ve been doing it ever since I was in grade nine and acting was always a really big passion of mine. I mean, being able to share that with so many other people, it’s a really nice opportunity.” - Nolan Hollett, Grade 11, assistant stage manager

“I enjoy that it gives me a purpose in life and I’m not just sitting at home and not doing anything but homework after school.” - Morgan Fequet, Grade 12, co-head of the props team 

“I enjoy theatre club because I get to say really random things on stage in front of everybody and I think that’s really funny.” - Julia Asada Butcher, Grade 10, cast and hair & makeup team member

“I like theatre club because it’s just a good way to meet people and it’s good if you don’t have a lot going on. It’s just something fun you can do in your free time.” - Vee Herbert, Grade 10, co-head of the hair & makeup team and cast

“It’s just overall fun at the end of the day and you can learn new things from it.” - Aidan Martino, Grade 11, publicity team member

Q: What do you enjoy/like about theatre club?

A: “I like theatre because I’ve been doing it ever since I was in grade nine and acting was always a really big passion of mine. I mean, being able to share that with so many other people, it’s a really nice opportunity.” - Nolan Hollett, Grade 11, assistant stage manager

“I enjoy that it gives me a purpose in life and I’m not just sitting at home and not doing anything but homework after school.” - Morgan Fequet, Grade 12, co-head of the props team 

“I enjoy theatre club because I get to say really random things on stage in front of everybody and I think that’s really funny.” - Julia Asada Butcher, Grade 10, cast and hair & makeup team member

“I like theatre club because it’s just a good way to meet people and it’s good if you don’t have a lot going on. It’s just something fun you can do in your free time.” - Vee Herbert, Grade 10, co-head of the hair & makeup team and cast

“It’s just overall fun at the end of the day and you can learn new things from it.” - Aidan Martino, Grade 11, publicity team member

Q: What have you learned from theatre club?

A: “Something I’ve learned from this club is that if you make a mistake usually it’s so easily recoverable, especially because your fellow actors are supposed to have your back. Even if you do mess up just a tad bit, it's all going to be fine! Especially if you have those around you to support you.” - Seb Oursien, cast and hair & makeup team member

“Not only have I learned how to do hair and makeup better, I’ve also learned how to work in a group with a bunch of people who I don’t know and just how to work as a community and how to support each other in new situations.” - Sage Herbert, co-head of the hair & makeup team

“I’ve actually learned so much from theatre club, especially about communicating with people and getting to know more people and their opinions. I’ve done the last play and this play and it’s been really nice.” - Razan Al-Badri, Grade 12, co-head of the scenic design team

Q: Why would you recommend joining this club?

A: “You should join because it’s a very supportive community, it is lots of fun learning your lines, getting set up, and just being part of all the crew and cast teams. You’ll learn a lot of strategies which you can take to pretty much any workplace, like team building and overcoming obstacles as you go along, and of course it’s lots of fun at the same time.” - Angelita Lapenskie, Grade 12, cast member

“I personally think theatre club allows for self expression if you want to act, especially. It's really good to feel as if you can be whatever you want to be. It’s a really good, healthy form of self expression. I think that if you want to be a crew member it teaches teamwork and cooperation and it shows responsibility. If you’re the head of a department it shows how you need to delegate work and it gives you a leadership role. So, I just think it’s good for learning teamwork and collaboration, and it really just builds your confidence.” - Riley Auger, Grade 12, co-director

“I personally think people should join because it’s a huge confidence boost if you want to be on cast. Even if it’s your first time and you land a role, you practise and you get good, then show night comes you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m a star!’. Even if you want to join the crew, it can teach you some pretty useful skills because it develops your people skills because you need people to have clear, constant communication to make sure everything goes right.” - Seb Oursien, Grade 11, cast and hair & makeup team member

“Other people should join theatre club because it gives you so many chances to meet incredible people. I met my best friend because of theatre club and I don’t think we ever would have talked if I hadn’t joined theatre. I’m really happy that I got that opportunity and I wanted everyone else to have that opportunity as well.” - Nolan Hollett, Grade 11, assistant stage manager

The theatre club at LDH is a great club to join if you are interested in doing something you love, making new friends, or just having something to do after school and learning some pretty useful skills along with it. The cast has already been selected for the theatre production this semester; however, if you’re interested in joining the crew please fill out this form. Click here to see some student-created videos explaining some of the team’s you could potentially join. 

That's it for this month Ravens, thank you for reading!