There were seven shows held on Apr. 26, 27, 30 and May 1,2, and 3, with both evening and afternoon performances available. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. During intermission, the Drama/Tech boosters sold a variety of snacks and candy as a fundraiser to support the program.
“My favorite part of playing Alice Murphy was experimenting with differentiating old vs young Alice!” Senior Samantha Probst said. “Playing Alice was a challenge at first, but it was the most magical and special show I have been a part of.”
“Bright Star” is inspired by a true story and features a time period in the American South between the 1920’s and 1940’s. It follows literary editor Alice Murphy as she meets a young soldier returning home from World War ll. Their connection awakens Alice’s longing for the child she once lost, leading her on a journey to uncover the truth about her past.
“The story of Bright Star was one not many of us were familiar with. The bluegrass/folk music was something so unique to this show and something Mira Costa had never tackled before,” Probst said. “The ensemble were key factors to telling the story as many of them sat on stage and observed the story being told as audience members, so each individual actor had to be 100% locked in at all times.”
The lead cast was composed of senior Samantha Probst, who played Alice Murphy; Zoe Meyer, who played Margot Crawford; Aaron Henschel, who played Billy Came Dobbs; and Jonah Mirkovich, who played Jimmy Ray. According to Probst and many other actors, they felt a strong emotional connection to their character.
“Playing Alice was an experience I will never forget,” Probst said. “I got so in touch with her character throughout the show by immersing myself into the story that the emotion came naturally on stage.”
The production was student produced, with lighting, stage, hair, and makeup crews composed of Tech members. There was also a student orchestra that accompanied the musical and added to the storytelling.
“For the many scenes that were very tech heavy and required precise timing for calling light and sound cues, it was the most rewarding listening to audience reactions,” Senior Jia Hauk said. “They talked about how cool the scenes looked and in general how invested they were in the story.”
To prepare, the cast started rehearsing in January. Rehearsals were conducted every weekday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and extended until 10p.m. during tech week, which occurred the two weeks leading up to opening night. According to Probst, the rehearsals required balancing school and outside commitments.
“Taking on a lead role meant I was on stage for most of the rehearsals, which made it harder to find time for homework compared to previous years,” Senior Aaron Henschel said. “But as a second semester senior, the workload has eased up. Since Bright Star is my fifth show at Costa, I came into it with a lot of experience, which definitely helped.”
According to Sarah Tonne, the musical was a success and the cast hopes to carry the same momentum onto their next production. The fall play will be announced later this year. Students are excited to get back on stage and get to work.
“I was so excited for opening night, but also really nervous!” Sophomore Dagny Shaw said. “I will especially remember all of the friends that I got to do the show with and all the fun backstage moments we had together.”
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