Photo credit: Jade Tibbetts, Student Intern

Have you ever wondered how the process of a play works? Well Gorham High School is currently preparing their fall production of “Our Town,” so here’s a behind the scenes look at how the process works.

The planning starts long before opening night — sometimes one or two years in advance. Directors choose which production to stage based on the students who are likely to audition and the skills they bring to the table.

For the fall play, drama director Joshua Hurd leads the process. The musical, however, is co-directed by Josh and Matthew Murray, who oversee all things music, along with choreographer Mariel Roy from Atlantic Dance Studio. Together, they select shows that they believe will be successful based on the students’ talents.
Once the production is chosen the next step is auditions. An audition is a lot like a job interview but instead of them asking you questions, you perform a scene from the play. Students can decide between roles to audition for and what scene to perform based on that role. This process can be a very stressful time for students but also very exciting. Waiting for the cast list is also one of the extra stressful times as everyone is waiting to find out if they got the role they wanted and who’s playing who.
After the cast is set, rehearsals begin. Rehearsals start by focusing on blocking where students learn where to stand, move and interact with props on stage. As rehearsals continue, dialogue, movement and timing slowly come together.

Toward the end of the rehearsal process comes “tech week.” This is when they start to include technical or “tech” crew so that they can learn lighting, sound and prop cues for everything to move smoothly. The week starts with what’s known as “Q-2-Q” a long day when everyone runs the show repeatedly while adding technical elements. Rehearsals continue throughout the week; they are usually from 6 to 10 p.m., especially during the musical, when the live band can only rehearse in the evenings.
Finally, it is performance time. A mix of excitement and nerves as students showcase months of hard work to their community. Once the curtain falls, the cycle begins again as they prepare for the next production.

“Our Town” by Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), directed by Joshua Hurd, will be performed at Gorham High School on Nov. 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the performance are $15 and can be purchased at the door or by going on the website. Learn more at
https://tinyurl.com/3ecka6vu