By Courtney Mentecki '26

As the nice weather arrives, so does our spring musical. This year's musical is Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella and Barbara Kalina, who designs the costumes, was happy to share some information about it.

Kalina said, "Most everything in St. Joseph’s costume shop is made by volunteer stitchers."

For the production many items are being used from past shows. However, all the ballgowns are being made this year along with the servants dresses.  

Kalina said, "We do have a stock of Regency period jackets from a closed costume shop where I used to work.  And of course, thrift stores always fill in the gaps with generic items."

Costumes are a major part of a musical and sometimes it can be very hard to put pieces together. In this production, the lead character is going to have a quick change from one costume to the next. 

"Cinderella does have a magical change on stage.  Most productions have her ball gown tucked up into a donut shaped apron.  The transformation is completed as she tears off pieces of her costume while spinning.  I didn’t want to do that so I’ll give you a hint: magnets!  We are working on making this happen now so I won’t know if everything works out until Cinderella tries it," Kalina said. 

Cinderella's gown is going to be stunning. 

There are many different timelines within the movies made of Cinderella, such as old movies and Disney movies. The production team had to figure out what era of time the costumes would look like. 

Kalina said, "In discussion with the director, we decided to set the production in the Regency Era so popular today with the Bridgerton television series.  The colors are jewel tone fall colors. Because when else would you find a pumpkin growing in the yard?"

Musicals are able to let students create bonds and have fun getting to know each other. The cast is able to have fun while working incredibly hard. Having a good support system and team spirit can help with that. 

Kalina said, “This is my 28th year working with the costuming at St. Joseph High School.  I started helping  when my daughter was a freshman in 1997 and just kept going.  Actually, the very first musical I designed was the SJHS 1999 production of Cinderella.”

Kalina’s favorite musical is the one she is working on now and her very first musical was this same one. Having someone so dedicated to their work and helping our students is very motivating to the cast. The shows are on April 24, 25, 26 at 7pm, and April 27 at 1pm. Tickets are on sale now. 

With the musical creeping ever so closer, we have to wonder what the cast is feeling about it. Even though the musical is fun to watch and to be a part of, the anxieties of remembering lines and choreography is very pressuring on the students. Being a part of a musical cast is a big commitment, and it gives the student responsibilities such as showing up to practices, and doing your part in the musical. 

There are so many things to remember for the cast of the musical; every person has something to do and remember. Although some roles can call for more pressure than others, every person does experience the fear of being in theater. When you watch the musical, and see all the cast members dancing on stage, you need to remember that every student that is a part of the number had to memorize each step and part of that song. Also, every line has to be sung correctly by every person, even if it’s a group. And, every person has a different type of voice, and it’s important to have a cast where everyone doesn’t sing in the exact same range.

When you see a cast on stage, your first thought isn’t how much work everyone put into making this happen. Each piece of the set has to be painted, and every line has to be remembered. On the day of the musical, cast members tend to freak out backstage, no matter how long they’ve been practicing or how experienced they are in musicals. Every person gets a little clammy before coming on stage for a performance; even if their part seems small to the audience, it means everything to them. 

The days leading up to the musical are the worst in my opinion. Not only because of how insane the practices are, but also because the pressure is officially on for everyone. Most people start overthinking everything, such as, if they’re really ready for this or if they’ll mess up their lines that they’ve gotten right at every practice. Some people worry that they’ll forget the choreography in a group number, and stand out. And the worst of all in my opinion, is worrying about a voice crack in a solo. 

Most of these fears however, never end up happening. As someone who's been in musicals for a long time, and has worried about these things and will continue to worry about these things the whole time she’s in musicals, they end up being nothing. And even if something does go wrong, most of the time, unless it's really bad, the audience doesn’t even notice. This is because they don’t know how the show goes, or that it can go wrong in some places and they might even think that it's a part of the show. Everyone has these fears before a show, and it can differ between every person, but the most important part of a musical is that it's enjoyable for everyone. Because in the end, that's all that matters. 

By Courtney Mentecki '26

Signs of spring are popping up all around such as softball and baseball practice, excitement and talks about prom, and trips to the tanning beds. 

According to Fortune Businesses Insights, "The self-tanning products market size was valued at USD 1.16 billion in 2024." 

It is said that spray tans or self tanning is much safer and better than using tanning beds. Tanning beds expose you to extreme UV rays that hurt the skin. 

To keep the skin protected, it is important to put on tanning lotion before entering the bed. It will help keep the skin moisturized while the UV is beaming down. With that in mind, going to a tanning bed is most often used for special occasions.

A common time to go to a tanning bed is right before prom to get a sun-kissed, glowing finish.

Yes, the after product of going to a tanning bed is pleasing, however, tanning beds can be dangerous because of how strong the radiation is. Depending on how long you go, it can be risky. 

Many people think the risks do not outweigh the satisfaction of a bronzed look, but it all comes down to preference. 

I personally have never been to a tanning bed because I have been too scared of the dangers that come with it, but I also love the build up to summer. I look forward to traveling and laying in the warmth of the sun to get tan.