26 | FALL 2023
the MIRROR
| ENTERTAINMENT |
THE MIRROR | PHOTOS BY GIANNA IOVINO
QUITE THE CROWD Sophomore Gwen
Alexander stands and tells the story of the wine god Dionysus to a crowd of listeners in Act One.
STORYTIME Juniors Alexis
Martinez (L) and Emily Chavez (R) sit and listen to one of the many stories told throughout the play. Act One.
Fallin’ back in time BY MADISON THACKER
B
THE MIRROR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
ack in 900 B.C.E Greece, the answers to even the most complex questions were hidden deep within Greek myths. The ancient Greeks crafted some of the most iconic stories in history. But nowadays, nobody has time to sit through endless lectures, or to read all the epic works. Luckily, the Theater Department summarized everything people need to know about Greek mythology with their own comedic twists. The department performed the fall production “The Iliad, The Odyssey, and all of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less” on Oct. 26, 27 and 28 in the Donna Hubbard Auditorium. Set on a simple stage with a large hourglass timer ticking down in front of the audience’s eyes, the cast sped through
all of Greek mythology in under 99 minutes. Presented at a lightning-fast pace, the silly decisions, absurd destinies and goofy characters yielded hysterical results as the timer stopped each night with only seconds to spare. Theater teacher and production director Mr. Justin Baldridge is no stranger to this show, having directed it twice before at previous high schools he worked at. Mr. Baldridge had a lot of options when deciding on what show to put on this fall, but ultimately went with this show knowing the students could do it justice. “I wanted a show that would highlight the strengths of the students,” he said “This show fits their personalities extremely well.” Back in August, the first rehearsals for the production began. But before that could happen, casting decisions had to be made. After three days of auditions, potential cast members were called back, given scenes from the show and provided with the opportunity to show off their comedic and
BEHIND THE SCENES Junior Kayla Balikyan-Davis (top photo) programs the production’s lighting.
TROJAN HORSE Sophomore Kaden Brave (L) and senior Felix Dennis (R) strike a pose as Greek gods during the Trojan War scene of the play.
artistic talents. Casting for this show was difficult because between the fifteen actors, well over 100 roles were performed in order to cover all the stories and history seen in Greek Mythology. This meant that Mr. Baldridge had to assign each actor to ten or more roles that best fit their character. Many students, such as freshman Maddy Mills, were encouraged to audition because they had a past obsession with Greek mythology. “So many people had a Greek mythology or Percy Jackson phase in middle school and I think people wanted to be in this show because it brings back so many memories and emotional experiences we all went through,” she said. The technical theater crew’s experience was just as intense. Students interested had to complete several forms and go through an interview process to be placed into a tech department, such as costumes, props or house crew.
After casting was finalized, rehearsals were off and running. “I was excited to start,” Mr. Baldridge said. “Especially because I know the show very well and it allows me to have a better understanding of it while directing.” Due to district-wide budget cuts, the total budget for the production was $5000. While this might seem like a lot to a spectator, Mr. Baldridge had to make those $5000 stretch as far as possible. That money had to cover all expenses, including costumes, sets and over 150 different props. Serving as one of two leads for the prop crew, sophomore Ami Singer wasn’t sure how the production was going to survive off of such a small budget. “My first thought when I heard the budget was, oh my god, how are we going to do this,” she said. “We have what feels like a million different characters who all have their own specific costume pieces.” Last year’s spring musical “Urinetown” had a budget of $14,000. Therefore, this fall
