Full Disclosure: Addams Family Is a Hit!

Ella Schmeling page editor

The mysterious and spooky (all together ooky) timelessly classic and beloved characters are featured in Sheldon’s 2022-23 school musical, “The Addams Family.” Performed by a student-lead ensemble consisting of over one hundred members, the production highlights the heartwarming and comedic triumphs of the infamous quirky family.

All cast and crew hold a vital role in the production, from soundboard, costumes, tech, and cast—all positions are equally important to the overall success of the production. Audiences watching a show don’t often recognize all the hard-work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes before it can be presented on stage.

Senior Eva Hergenreter, who is both the props manager and playing Grandma Addams, experienced first hand the demanding time commitments of theater. Since December, Hergenreter spent up to two hours after school every day creating props as well as acting during rehearsals, which even then “still doesn’t feel like enough time” to fully manage all props on set. Hergenreter has been involved in theater and props since freshman year, but underestimated how difficult the manager role would be. A lot of the difficulty comes from the fact that most of the production’s props are hand-made. “I have to be in constant communication with the cast and other managers to ensure the props I have made are to their liking. If you slack off, you are left behind,” said Hergenreter.

Sophomore Emi Henrikson stars as the leading role of Wednesday Addams. While honored to be the lead, such a significant role bears an extra set of challenges including memorizing over one hundred lines, performing six songs, learning new choreography, and feeling the extra pressures of playing such a highly respected and well-known role. Fortunately, Henrikson’s perseverance is rewarded as she witnesses her fellow-cast mates’ hard work paying off within the successes of their performance. “I’ve been so proud of the whole cast and crew for going above and beyond with how much effort they put into the show. Everyone continues to blow me away with their talent and dedication,” said Henrikson.

Senior Aubrey Jamieson is the sound manager of the production. Jamieson is in charge of making sure the microphones are working correctly and properly placed on the actors, choosing sound effects, and training other techcrew members. One major challenge this year was buying an entirely new set of microphones, as the microphones they did have were broken. While there are many challenges navigating the tech aspects of a production, it’s crucial to the storytelling. “Tech is what brings the story to life, creating the immersive experience of theater that makes the story feel realistic,” said Jamieson. While working on tech during rehearsals, Jamieson was given the opportunity to watch the cast progress and witness the crew’s tremendous breakthroughs. Jamieson is “incredibly proud” of everyone in the production, especially when seeing the final outcome of the show. “I think the most exciting part is opening night. It’s your first official runthrough and everyone did it. And yeah, even if there were a few bumps in the road or something happens, you know that you got through it. I think there’s just this sense of relief and a feeling that everyone’s proud of each other because we actually put it together,” said Jamieson.

Choir director Megan Perdue is the vocal director and producer of the show. As vocal director, her job is to teach all the songs and help everyone feel comfortable singing in character. In addition to singing being difficult, the actors are required to include each character’s specific attributes to the song, making the process more challenging. As the producer, Perdue is in charge of poster, ticket and program creation, as well as communications, auditions, hiring, and fundraising. “One of the things I love about theater is that it brings so many different types of people together to create a piece of art. We have so many incredible students at Sheldon. Seeing how people shine in different ways is really inspiring,” said Perdue.

Perdue’s favorite aspect of the story is the family element. While it’s a goofy comedy, there are many pieces that high schoolers and families can relate to, including the main storyline of Wednesday navigating the challenges of growing up. It’s “an extremely touching but hilarious story,” said Perdue.

L to R: Uncle Fester, Zach Wergeland (12); Wednesday Addams, Emi Henrikson (10); Morticia Addams, Sage Pomlee-Solar (12); Lurch, Dantae Gelsamino (11); Gomez Addams, Omar Nashawi (12); Pugsley Addams, Sarah Aasheim (10); Grandma Addams, Evie Hergenreter (12)

Wednesday Addams and Lucas Beineke, Benjamin Krebs (11)