A Night Landmark Stage Company Will Never Forget!

by Alyssa Gibbs

Landmark Stage Company took on the challenge of staging and performing Carrie: The Musical this fall with three sold-out performances and an open dress rehearsal, showcasing the behind-the-scenes process of this vocally, theatrically, and technically demanding show.

Based on Stephen King’s seminal first novel, Carrie: The Musical centers around outcast and abused high school senior Carrie as she discovers her telekinetic powers and the attendant chaos that comes with them. More than just a horror story, at its core Carrie is a coming-of-age story about the pressures of high school and the inner lives of adolescents.

The cast of Carrie: The Musical was a mix of veteran Landmark Stage Company performers and those new to theater. In just two months, actors were asked to learn music, choreography, stage movement, and elements of stage combat. Backed by a professional band, each performance showcased the musical talents of featured and ensemble performers alike. Their brave commitment to telling the story of Carrie brought the audience to its feet after every performance. Taking the stage and in backstage roles for their last Landmark Stage Company musical were seniors Summer O. (Carrie), Savannah H. (Sue), Jack B. (Tommy), Nona B. (Chris), Solenn M. (Mr.

Stephens), Jack F. (Freddy), Liam H. (Stokes), Dylan A. (stage manager), and Colton B. (crew member).

In addition to the demands placed on actors, Carrie: The Musical was a technical feat. Technical Theater students and crew rose to the occasion under the direction of Technical Theater Director Nate Haywood. The scene shop was turned into a makeshift science lab, with students’ experimenting to find the perfect recipe for the copious amount of stage blood used in each night’s performance before finally settling on a mix of corn syrup, chocolate sauce, and food dye. Projections, light cues, and sound effects were used to transform the Performing Arts Center into the varied settings of the show without the use of major set changes, including the climactic prom scene, with its fiery explosions and dramatic lighting effects. Each performance of Carrie: The Musical was truly a night that Landmark Performing Arts participants and patrons will never forget! BOOK-OPEN calendar-check

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Landmark Stage Company’s upcoming theatrical performances:

CHEVRON-CIRCLE-RIGHT Clue: High School Edition, February 23–25

CHEVRON-CIRCLE-RIGHT Sideways Stories from Wayside School, May 18–20