The brightest lights of the night flash the gratified faces of the Starry Knights. All cast members stand in unison, and the crowd roars. Nothing can shake the feeling of witnessing the crowd standing on their feet, cheering. After the final bows, the curtains are closed–for now. 

The 2024 spring musical in San Marcos High School’s Theater Department is now at its end. With a strong team like the Starry Knights, a successful and creative play was achieved. In theater, drama students must do their part to the fullest. Big or small, crew or actor, your contribution will affect everyone in the department. With the flow of a well-working team, the synergy ensures the audience is drawn and has a tremendous experience. “Everyone is responsible for their own performance,” said Sophomore Nicholas Damian, “But as a company, everyone came together and made sure we were all vibrating at the same frequency, playing off of each other’s performances.”

In theater, drama students must do their part to the fullest. Big or small, crew or actor, your contribution will affect everyone in the department. There are strong points in teamwork, as well as low points. It won’t all come easy, there are definitely rigorous theatrical roles.

“One of the hardest parts in production to achieve were multiple sets of harmonies,” said Sophomore Kristina Larochelle. Harmonization enhances the understanding of how the work self-identifies the characters, such as their personalities, emotions, and overall performance. Damian additionally adds that theater isn’t always perfect. There were times he felt burnt out, tired, and wanted to give up. But like any great performer, he pushed through and delivered an amazing performance as one of the leads, Prince Eric. 

The rewarding part of doing anything is the positive feedback you receive. “Every time I set foot out onto [the] stage and see an audience, all the hours of hard work and dedication immediately pay off,” said Damian, “It really fuels an actor–each gasp, each laugh, they all make me so fulfilled.” Audience responses are important because they reflect on the effective presenters who put a lot of time in their performance, as it also drives the actors to become better in their work.

“I think with the audience reactions to the show, you really learn what works and what doesn’t,” said Damian. The audience doesn’t just learn about the show, the cast members also learn from the audience. “The audience was wonderful, night after night they carried the true vibe of the show which is really just an enjoyable time under the sea with a captivating storyline!” said Larochelle. Actors connect to the audience with their performance and everything that comes with it- to their tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions. This connection communicates emotions, ideas, artistic expression, and plot, drawing the audience into the world of story. 

The play concludes with a resolution that ties up the loose ends in the plot. These days are restless, workdays are endless. With hard decisions and sleepless nights, the Starry Knights provided an enjoyable play. “The play went great!” Larochelle said. “We were all thrilled to share this musical under the sea with everyone.”

Behind the scenes are what truly matters to ensure the experience people get watching the play. “There were definitely some tough times and hard deadlines,” said Damian, “But the whole cast worked so hard to put out their best work and have a great time while doing so.” The production of the spring musical of 2024 is over. But, this is the very first page, not where the story line ends.