Photo taken by Alex Misner of the box office in the performing arts center.
Written by: Alex Misner
(GREENSBURG, Pa.)- The Seton Hill Drama Department put on a production of Little Shop of Horrors that ran Oct. 20, Oct. 21, Oct. 22, Oct. 26, Oct. 27, and Oct. 28.
Seton Hill’s production was under the direction of Dr. Kellee Van Aken, music direction of Michelle Walters, and choreographed by Jason Emmerling.
Students spent a lot of time in rehearsals in order to get ready for their opening night on October 20th. Some cast members, freshman Brooks Brady who portrayed Seymour, and junior Penelope Zamborsky who portrayed Audrey, discussed what rehearsals were like. Penelope said that there are a few types of rehearsals, “music rehearsal where they practice their songs, staging and scene work where they work on dialogue and how to interact with the set, and dance rehearsals where they work on choreography.”
Choreography played a big role in the show, hence why they have promoted junior Mya Clay to the role of the dance captain. Clay said that as part of this responsibility, “I have to learn everyone’s dance and know exactly what I am supposed to do. I also have to take videos of the dance so the cast can look back and see what they did. When the choreographer is not there, I make sure the cast keeps the integrity of the dance and keeps everything the same.”
Not only did dancing play a big part of the show, but the show also featured combat and puppets. To assist with the combat portion of the show, senior Channing Griffin had been appointed to the fight captain. In this role, Griffin said “I am there for all rehearsals that have to do with combat, observe all of it, and answer any questions that come up, as well as make sure that everyone’s boundaries are being respected.” When it comes to the puppet portion, all of the puppets were designed in the costume shop down at the Performing Arts Center, which is run by Lisa Leibering. Leibering said that to create the puppets, she followed a production book that was provided when they purchased the show with ways to bring these puppets to life. The puppets in the show are made with fabric and foam. She has really enjoyed building these puppets. “If anyone is interested in learning more about how these puppets are made, the Department of Theatre is offering a special topics course next semester where you can learn more about making puppets. Plus the course provides a service learning aspect as the students will be making Finding Nemo puppets for a local production,” she said.
The cast encourageD everyone to go check out the show. Brady said, “audiences can look forward to a lot of surprises, laughs, and dark comedy.”
“Audience members can expect to have a good time and laugh throughout the show” said Griffin.