As the school year segues quickly into fall, the theatre program is beginning preparations for another year of performances. Auditions were held last week for their opening production, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Many talented, hopeful kids queued up after school last Tuesday to show off their skills and try for a coveted spot in the play.

“There’s a lot of friendly competition,” senior Tamara Graham said. “Some people get really nervous about auditions but I just try to stay relaxed and confident.”

Being a musical, the auditions for Jekyll and Hyde entailed more than just the traditional readings and monologues.

“You prepare a 16 to 32 bar song, go in, sing, then you run to the auditorium and do the dancing part of the audition,” company manager Jackson Spencer said.

With the audition process now completed and the cast list finalized, all those involved in the play can turn their focus to the immense project ahead of them of bringing the production together by opening night, Oct 24. A sense of anticipation and excitement is omnipresent among those in the program.

“[Jekyll and Hyde] is probably the biggest show we have done so far,” said stage manager Remy Lierz.

There are numerous preparations that must go into the play, but the cast and crew are optimistic for the tremendous project.

“It’s huge,” said Spencer. “The cast is huge, the music is phenomenal, the sets and lighting and just everything is going to be huge.”

But the entertainment hardly stops after Jekyll and Hyde. Auditions for their second play, Miracle on 34th Street, will be held soon, and this particular production will have an exciting new enhancement to it.

“[Miracle on 34th Street] is going to be a dinner theatre,” company manager Caitlin Duffy tells us. “It’s supposed to be a lot of fun and a huge undertaking but definitely worth it.”

Miracle on 34th Street will open in the SMS auditorium  Dec 5. Other big events that the avid theater-goer can anticipate are the musical Peter Pan, which will open Feb 19, and the classic Shakespearean play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is set to premiere April 30.