Bless You!

By: Logan Johnson

The Saint Joe's Theater Department is back for the last show of the 2023-2024 school year. This time our show is being overseen by a few seniors of the theater department and performed by underclassmen. The whole show is in the hands of the students. The students wrote all musical parts including music, choreography, blocking, and lyrics. The show is called Bless You! It follows the story of a man named Walter who loves his tissue box factory very much and does anything to keep it open and Ross, a worker at the tissue box factory who wants to shut it down. This comedic story takes you on a journey in which you'll never be wondering about what to laugh at next.

Bless You! includes numerous songs and accompaniment all written by the department's students. The Vocal Director Josh Weil ‘24 when asked what it was like to write the music said, “It was more difficult than we anticipated. Trying to find the right melodies and accompanying instrument parts was a challenge but it all paid off in the end.” You never really take into account what it is like to write a song with all of its intricate parts. The lyrics, the melody, and the rhythm all have to work in unison or else you'll have a sound that isn't right.”  Josh Weil and Dylan Cavarello have spent a lot of their time in practice rooms trying to figure out what sounds right. The team has worked together to piece all of the songs and their accompanying music together. Each of them has spent time outside of school and during their free periods in school trying to create music that not only works together but fits the theme of the story.

The students running this show are Joe DiMaio as the director & producer, Max Benz as the assistant director & choreographer, Josh Weil as the vocal director, and Dylan Cavarello as music director & conductor. This exceptional group of students has worked tirelessly to run this show with only the monitoring of adults.  Each student has had their part of the show which they are proficient in to lead. This splitting up of the work allows them to create a show using the best of all of their abilities. Each senior has their portion of work which they all work together to create this show. This might be unnatural to these seniors because it may be their first time leading a show but it helps bring their perspective to the student team.

The students in the production always enjoy showing up to rehearsals and getting work done. Ethan Franz 25’ said, “ I like the people. I like that it is run by students. It gives you a more personal connection with the musical directors.” Rehearsals are only twice a week so when the time does come around students are asked to be ready and prepared to work. 

Often students will do their homework or any schoolwork they have while they are waiting to be called on stage. The students care about their school work as well, not simply just their acting or their stage performance. Max Benz says, “Students really care about acting but they also value their education. It never feels like one is more important than the other.” Many students often help each other study and figure out problems with the help of their fellow actors.

When asked why people should come and see this show Dylan Cavarello said, “There was so much hard work put into this and it would be so great for all of the work put into this musical  to pay off and have people come and see the show.” This show is a one-time experience and nowhere else will this ever be performed. All of the proceedings are going to a local charity, so you are not only helping St Joes students but also the local community as well.

The director Joe DiMaio 24’ has been in the theater department for three years now and knows his way around his stage. When asked what qualifies him for this director position he stated, “I believe I have the potential to be a good director because of my eight years of experience doing theater. I've observed many directors and I know what works for me and what doesn't, so hopefully I can use that to find something that works for my cast.”Joe Dimaio can always be seen offering quality advice to the cast and is a friendly face and director for the cast to approach and feel respected.

Bless You! is performing on June 8th, 2024. Make sure you get a ticket! There is only one show so seats are limited. Our student team, cast, and crew have worked tirelessly to perform for the St Joe's audience.  So get your tickets now and be ready to have a great time!