Other challenges can be working with too little communication, time, or building of props. With props, Garrison Lazzereti (11), lead prop director says, “Depending on what the project is, whether it’s clay or sculpture, or if we have to paint a canvas, it usually takes one to two tech days.” The time to be able to make the props can be a crunch and not everything works out in the end, forcing them to reassess. One other problem can be communication: “There is a distance between the actors and tech, so there's not always a lot of communication there. It usually is pretty good, but there are times where it isn't at all, and then it’s stressful for tech because we don’t know what we're doing,” Abby explains. 

Though it may seem tough and foreboding, the Theater family always supports each other throughout these challenges. Garrison comments that one pro is, “the community and friends are amazing or hanging out with them and meeting a lot of new people is great.” The group is amazing and stellar, bringing life to stories anywhere from Shakespeare to modern writers. Theater is quite a lot, but can fill your time with entertainment and satisfaction at the end of a show!

Want to tell stories through songs with others? Choir is wonderful for that. The way songs end up falling together consists of how hard the students work. Addie Coleman (9) states, “We practice our songs dozens of times and we go through with a fine tooth comb, which really helps us.” Practicing and working along with the choir director, Mr. Wolterstorff, also known as Dubbs, helps bring the choir together. Sophomore, Evan Roper, who is in the midst of his first year in the choir, comments, “ Dubbs is amazing and it's super chill. There's not a lot of pressure.” Along with his comment, Emily says, “Heck yeah, I enjoy it. You just sing and have fun!” Preparing for concerts can take two to three weeks to understand the music and the whole semester to perfect the songs. Dallin Sarver (10) who sings in the ThunderRidge choir states, “We make sure we have plenty of practice in order to make sure it’s not too stressful.” 

Being on stage can be nerve-racking, but being with your friends and a great director can make it easy. There are not many problems related to choir other than an occasional song that does not get finished on time. “We’ve had to cut songs before and it makes everyone antsy. No one really likes to see Dubbs worried about our concerts,” Kendra Mack (10), a choir kid who has sung for the past two years with Dubbs, says. Though they’ve struggled with songs at times, the group is quite energetic, dedicated, and enjoy telling stories through singing.

Ever think about portraying emotions through instruments? Orchestra and Band are perfect for telling stories through music without using your voice. If you do not want to perform out in the open or sing with your voice you can utilize your hands and play something beautiful. Audra Marriott explains, “Band is a great place to hang out with your friends and make cool music. I am in the marching band as well and it’s a lot of fun.” After looking into what Band and Orchestra can do, one of the points is how they prepare for concerts. “We practice together, and we read the song and practice over and over, and go over tuning parts.” Brock Herbert says. Taking the time to tune the instruments and make sure the songs flow smoothly is very important to make the song sound professional. 

Terry, the Band and Orchestra teacher, works with each group to try and perfect the songs before the concert. As well as practice, friendships bloom and hard work must be put in. Brock says, “The people are wonderful to me and you make a lot of friends, but at first it was actually really hard because of all the new things you have to learn as a beginner but other than that it's really fun.” Band and Orchestra are very interesting and have a little fewer nerves to them. Not all stories need to be spoken, some come through feelings as well. People don’t always need words to build stories, music can do it as well when it builds and flows all on its own. Classical can portray emotions for those who don’t have the words. Rhythm and dynamics can show anger or sadness where a minor key and give off a melancholy vibe.