It may be October outside, but in the theater, it’s already snowing. After months of rehearsals and late-night preparations, the CHS theater students are finally ready to perform White Christmas. The students have dedicated themselves from the start, doing long summer intensives and daily rehearsals after school.
“Our intensives were 8 hours long, and then the second week of school, we started practicing every day after school from 3-5:30. Then tech week the week before the show, with rehearsals from 5 to 10pm,” Emily Schaefer (‘27), who plays the lead Judy Haynes, said.
During rehearsals, there are many parts that need to be adjusted. The cast typically warms up by singing and dancing, and then they go through the play, scene by scene. There is a lot of dance in the musical as well, so all the dancers had to learn different dance styles.
“For dance, I did a lot of practice at my dance studio with tap, because it was a new style for me. I took a lot of private technique classes to learn tap at my studio,” Schaefer said.
For the whole White Christmas cast, tech week is the most stressful week of rehearsals. Actors have to learn their lines, but they also need to perfect costume changes and dance steps. The tech crew also has even more things to do than usual, like sewing new costumes on short notice and jumping in to replace props that got lost.
“The stress of tech week is really hitting a lot of people. The rehearsals are more chaotic and it's more overwhelming. With more school work and longer rehearsals, it's just harder to balance everything,” feature dancer Macie McDermott (‘29) said.
The cast is split into two groups: The onstage actors, and backstage tech crew. You see the actors, but the tech crew manages the show and makes sure the play runs smoothly. The tech crew also has many additional responsibilities, like keeping everything organized and having seamless transitions backstage.
“The tech crew for the musical is really helpful. I feel like they are really the unspoken heroes of the show,” Schaefer said.
Even though the cast’s roles are divided, the actors and crew rely on each other. The actors trust the tech crew to handle backstage elements, while the performers are counted on to stay in sync. Their teamwork keeps White Christmas running smoothly.
“The cast works on learning how each part of the show moves together, so it will work. But if they don't know how everything moves together, the show will not go. The tech and actors have to walk together.” prop designer and singing ensemble Steve Cattell (‘26) said.
Working together for so long has created strong bonds between the cast members. After spending time with each other for many hours, the cast understands what each person is going through, which helps strengthen their performance.
“You don't understand the connection and friendship there is between the cast. We're one big family. But when you look at the show and see how well it's put together, you can see the relationships through the show,” McDermott said.
