“Much Ado About Nothing” set construction begins
October 7, 2015
The stage is in full overdrive, with the new set being built for the show ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Drama students are constructing the platforms, columns, and so much more to make the scenes come to life.
The Drama Club members work on the set Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. It takes a long time to get everything down even with classes and Drama Club students helping.
“Two months at least,” junior Rebecca Nyman said it takes. That means they work 3 times a week for 8 weeks. That is pure devotion.
Nyman also said, that they “sometimes work on Saturdays.” They come in on days that aren’t even intended for school. That proves their pure devotion.
The Drama Club students work from when school ends until 5:00. They have some classes that help build the set during the day, but not all of the theatre classes help.
It takes a lot of work to run all the tools and machinery to build a set.
“Practice. Once you learn it the first time, you might need a reminder the second time. You just get used to it,” said freshman Riley Lynn.
“My dad does construction, so I already had an idea of what I was doing when I walked in,” said Nyman. Nyman works as the master carpenter for the set building project. Her job is to oversee everyone to make sure everything runs smoothly. She helps people find things they might need or lend a helping hand.
Using all of these tools can be very dangerous at times, so safety is a top priority.
“I have a couple of blisters on my hands from changing out the bits in the drill,” said freshman Courtney Farr. But that is not even the worst of it.
Karla Penechar, advisor of set construction, had an accident about 10 years ago.
“In 2003, we were working on a Saturday on the set construction and I had removed a guard from the saw and was cutting a very tiny board. I wouldn’t let any students cut it because it was so tiny of a board to cut so I cut it myself and I got my finger caught on the blade.” said Penechar.
Ms. Penechar is now missing ⅛ of her middle finger. So, safety is always on her mind. She won’t let any of the students do anything she might see fit as dangerous, and she makes sure they are always wearing protection.
The feeling the drama club members get when they finish a set, after the blood, sweat, and tears have come out, is described by Penechar. Penechar said, when the entire set is finished that it is just “the best feeling ever. You go up… and you stand at back of the theatre and you look at the stage, it just looks wonderful.”
The transformation of the set, going from nothing to something.
Lynn said, “seeing how the transformation being clear to everything coming together to making a wonderful set.”
Set building is a lot of hard work, but in the end seeing it done, seeing what they have accomplished is enough for the builders to be in awe.
