This fall, Mr. Cross directed the play “The Secret In The Wings.” The play is about a girl named Heidi who’s told creepy bedtime stories by her babysitter, an ogre named Mr. Fitzpatrick.  Each scene in the play was about a different fairytale! Many of the scenes would end unexpectedly but would be explained later in the play. In this adaptation, all of the characters’ names were replaced by the actor’s real name.

The first read-through of the play was on September 19th after an intensive round of auditions. Everybody in the cast was welcoming, and Mr. Cross made sure everyone felt involved. After the first read, the rehearsals began— they were a fun way to meet new people!  The room was always filled with laughter and chatter.

Mr. Cross had a clear idea of how the play was going to end up, and as he directed, he made a new path for many of the scenes. The play was taken seriously by all of the cast members, as every actor wanted to put on a great show for the audience to enjoy!

Starting on October 14th, the cast was off-book. For the most part, this was no problem; however, in the Snake Leaves scene, there was a bit of trouble learning the lines.  This scene was filled with singing, and for many of the actors, they had never been in a musical. It took hard work and long practices to perfect the scene. On Sunday, October 27th, the cast and crew met from 12 pm to 6 pm for the first full run. They had worked hard the previous day to figure out where everything would go and what they would do. A few days later, on October 30th, it was dress rehearsal! Everybody wanted to make Mr. Cross proud.  After the rousing dress rehearsal, there were still many things to fix, but there was not one person who was unwilling to put in the work.

After spending two months together, the cast had grown very close. The show was only in a few days so there was a lot of nervousness and exhilaration spreading through everybody.  Soon, on November 1st, it was opening night. The cast and crew arrived at around 5 p.m to get ready for the play. Everybody put on their costumes, set up the lights, did their make-up, set up the sound, went over their lines, and put the props in place. Members gave each other presents they had bought as part of a crew “Secret Santa.”  Everybody had fun opening their presents! Candy was the most popular gift.

The cast warmed up with tongue twisters and a pre-show shake out. After that, it was time for the play to begin! The cast, crew, and Mr. Cross could not be happier with the turnout. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!