Today, I want to slip you all into the world of PV Theatre. Now, I know that the ways of theater aren’t very well known to those who aren’t in it, so here is a small trip behind the scenes.

The biggest and most important thing to speak about: rehearsal. Rehearsals are scheduled every day after school, and most of them go from 3 to 6 p.m. While putting on a musical, these rehearsals consist of dancing, singing, acting, or a combination of two or all three squeezed into those three hours. Dancing rehearsals are a big part of a musical, of course, so dancing is usually in the plan for rehearsal. Our two student choreographers this year, Tyler Halligan and Alyssa Zoll, make sure that the dances are sharp right down to the very last detail, along with the other choreographer, Senora Silvano, who is also an italian teacher here at PV. We even had the opportunity to work with past PV Theatre alumni Kelsey McGrail, who choreographed our title number among other dances. Our resident dramaturg, Nina Henry, with her wealth of knowledge and amazing history skills, is able to answer any questions in regards to anything pertaining to the era of the show.  Since this year’s musical, Anything Goes, has a lot of tap and jazz music, the dancing consists of tapping away with flexed hands (and no, we don’t just do jazz hands) which makes it fun and lets you learn a lot if you’re not such a big dancer. Music rehearsals with Mr. Mahadeen (or Mr. M for short), our musical director, are relaxed but very productive. He makes sure we’re on our voice parts but allows for bits of humor during our time with him. His upbeat attitude makes the time fun and allows you a chance to expand your horizons vocally.

Of course, every great show is made so by great acting and character development, so acting rehearsals hold a lot of importance. The directors, Mr. and Mrs. Lupfer, make sure we truly understand our characters and understand the importance of the actions we perform. No action is random on stage and no words are said without emotion and purpose. The hardest task for actors is saying the lines like they’re spontaneous, something you’d say in the heat of the moment rather than something you’ve said a million times in rehearsal. The Lupfers allow us to experiment and try new ways to say specific lines, while also teaching us new methods for memorization and articulation. We practice all of this over and over, and also take time to think about our emotions and movements in order to help emphasize the point of the situation we are portraying.

Then, before you know it, “Hell Week” rolls around.

If you ever wondered why some talented students look incredibly exhausted but extremely excited during one week two times a year, your answer is: Hell Week. Leading up to it, the rehearsals become longer, spanning from 6, to 7, to 8, and then finally to 10 p.m. at night during all of Hell Week. For an actor, that means hours of running through the show again and again, tightening up loose ends, cementing the motions and emotions into your voice and muscles, getting used to walking around in costumes and hair made for the era. Around this time, it all comes together into an amazing show.

Of course, food is provided from many generous restaurants around Hillsdale, River Vale, and other towns to help us keep going throughout these long, important rehearsals during Hell Week. Many of the cast members’ parents serve up the amazing dishes and spend hours getting the food in the first place, so every night of Hell Week we thank them for all the effort they put into helping us along with our show.

The work continues after dinner, everyone buzzing with full stomachs and determination. And at last, with all of these long rehearsals over, the show is finally ready.

Though we work until the curtain closes on that magical night of our last performance, as the old saying goes, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. PV Theatre is a family, and like one the cast spends a lot of time bonding with each other along with the crew and orchestra. This year, we began a tradition of having a dip-luck, a fest of dips, chips, and a funny movie to allow the cast, crew, and orchestra to laugh and spend time together. Beforehand, we played games to help us bond, like the old Human Knot game and Two Truths and a Lie. This really helped us to bond and get to know each other better because it created memories and a whole lot of laughs. I know I had a lot of fun, watching The Lego Movie and getting to know people I don’t really talk to on a regular basis. Other fun theater moments consist of early rehearsals of acting games and fun tongue twisters to help us with articulation. The laughing never stops and the antics just get better with each rehearsal. PV Theatre is a big commitment, but take it from someone who knows: it’s worth it.

And while I’ve been talking about PV Theatre this whole time, I should also mention that our spring musical, Anything Goes, is coming up this week on March 19th, 20th, and 21st. Order your tickets from the PV Theatre website ASAP: it’s not something you’ll want to miss!