With only 24 hours in the day, 7 hours spent at school, 8-10 hours recommended for sleep, and about 7 hours spent at rehearsal, how do students involved with North Penn’s spring musical, Children of Eden, get everything that needs to be done finished?
This week is officially show week for Children of Eden, and naturally it is full of rehearsals and prep that many people aren’t aware of. For example, student’s were there from around 9 AM to 9 PM last Saturday.
But the world doesn’t just stop because it’s show week. Students in the company still must keep up with not only their in school work but also out of school. There’s still vocab tests, labs, school trips, and jobs that keep going.
To combat this, students work diligently to complete all their work before, during, and after rehearsal. For me, that means either making sure I lock in after school on studying or homework or I stay up late to do it.
It has been a whirlwind of emotions this week as a senior in my final NPHS Theatre production. Not only are feelings high with the heartfelt story we are portraying, but also it’s knowing that the clock is ticking for how many more times I’m on stage with my best friends.
NPHS Theatre has provided me and so many students with not only an outlet to express their artistic selves but also to meet the most “amazingest” people on Earth. Knowing that this past Tuesday was my last ever rehearsal with this group breaks my heart and I know tons of other students feel the same way.
The whole company, but especially the cast, not only spends so much time together up close to show week but also in the months leading up to it. I bet you didn’t know that Children of Eden was officially casted in January. That means we have had 5 months of 7 hour rehearsals after school together. The dedication and time going into this production does not go unnoticed, it is seen onstage.
Additionally, the talent of NPHS Theatre is not just the actors you see onstage, but also hidden behind the curtain. Our beautiful costumes aren’t just bought from SHEIN or Amazon but they are designed and curated by the students in costume crew. Every actor on stage has been specifically dressed to tell the beautiful story of Children of Eden. From the animal masks to the tunics, each spectacular look is planned by truly talented North Penn students in costume crew.
Alongside that, the marvelous set, lighting, and audio are all tackled by those in crew. The platform and circle that reside on the North Penn stage can be seen to represent an eye. With the tall platform as an eyebrow and the center circle as the eye, so much detail and thought has been planned out by students to portray a deeper meaning to the story. Hours of painting, sawing, and nailing to create our beautiful set which is all thanks to some of your peers.
All in all, while Children of Eden isn’t a “big name show”, I hope students can take a couple hours out of their time this upcoming weekend to see what so many of their peers have spent hours that add up into weeks on.
