Sophomore Jisella Ayalla walked precariously around a corner to place the pile of wood she was holding onto moving trucks. This wood was used in the play Tarzan which had been put on at the Center for the Performing Arts earlier that week. That play wasn’t her reason for being there that day, though. Instead, she was there to help set up for the musical the theatre department would be putting on on February 7, the following week.
Students arrived at the Center at eight in the morning on Sunday, January 24. Even though the air outside was cold, the first thing students did was unload the props for their musical, The Addams Family, from the trucks outside so that they would be able to set up their set on the stage. After this, they had to load the props from Tarzan onto those same trucks and begin setting up for their own play. Sophomore Izabella Alicia-Smith, the assistant stage manager, was there overseeing the process.
After they loaded the trucks, the students came back inside and onto the stage. The sound of hammers hitting nails echoed on the stage as props were put together, accompanied by the whirring of electric drills. All the students worked diligently to put together every prop so that they would be ready for the play. Each person had different assignments. Some students helped put together the stairs, while others worked on background props, while still others worked to lay the tree out so that it could be easily put together. Backstage, some of the actors for the play tried on their costumes and made any adjustments they needed to make. After doing all this work, the students even managed to finish setting up two hours ahead of schedule.
Theatre teacher Mr. Jeremy Ferman oversaw and helped in all aspects of the preparations that morning. He has high expectations for the play that will be showing at the Mansfield ISD Center For the Performing Arts on February 4-6 at 7 p.m.
