Calling All Thespians!
School City of Mishawaka is officially more than one month into the 2021 - 22 school year. This means that many clubs and teams are starting up once more; among them is the theater department here at MHS. This year, the cast and crew will be putting on a production of a childhood favorite, Charlotte's Web, under the direction of Choir Director, Rachel Sutch.
Charlotte's Web was chosen for this year’s fall play because “I wanted to pick a show that was very family-friendly, but that also had acting challenges in it,” Sutch said,
“I was a cast member in it when I was in college, and so having that background knowledge, I just felt like it’s an uplifting show, which we need right now,” she added.
Many who are interested in joining the theater program may also be interested to know that Sutch teaches choir here at MHS. She explained that her directorial debut at the school began when, “Mr. Garder [the former theater director] decided to move back home.”
“We just had an opening for a theater director, and (at) my previous school that I worked at, I was the theater director there. Mr. Brown [Sutch’s fellow choir teacher and Fine Arts coordinator] knew that and said, ‘Hey, we are now short of a theater director. Would you be willing to step into this role?’...We have a great team here, so I jumped on in."
“I love getting to see people expand upon their talents, especially with a show like Charlotte's Web, where there’s so many different types of parts available,” shared Sutch.
Upperclassmen who will be continuing in the theater program remember the talented senior class MHS had last year. Sutch does not want that to strike fear in the hearts of any eager underclassmen. She assured,
“...It'll be a cool way for me to get to know some of the younger actors and younger students, and see how they perform in different roles.”
“We did have such a strong senior class that they got the majority of their roles both their junior year and their senior year,” she admitted, “(but) now there’s more room for new people to really step in and expand in our theater department.”
For any students who are feeling hesitant about auditioning for the show or participating in any other aspect such as crew, Sutch emphasized, “There is no harm in trying. You could show up to the audition and then decide, ‘This is not for me, I don’t feel comfortable with this.’ Tell me that; that’s fine.”
Sutch continued, “But, you don’t know until you give it a shot. We have so many roles in this show, both onstage and backstage, that there’s a lot of space for people to step in, even if they just want something that’s really, really small. They can still do that and be a part of it, and get to know what it’s like. So, just do it. Step out, fill out the form, and give it a try!”
Auditions for the fall play will be held in the auditorium after school on September 20th, from 3:30 to 5:30. Anyone who is interested in more information is welcome to come see Mrs. Sutch in the choir room. She’ll provide you with an information sheet and add your name to a mailing list. An audition form for an onstage role OR an application for tech/crew will then be emailed to you as September 20th approaches.