On October 27, Laguna Beach High School presented the fun-loving and mysterious play Holes by Louis Sacher in the Artists Theatre. The play ultimately stars Marco Calderon, Lila Tacklind, Sam O’Neill, Mallory Keller, TJ Simmons, Mason Bruderer, Ally Notarianni, Maris Morgan, Luxy Bynum, and many more. Meghan Marshall’s direction and Mitchell Huntley’s assistance bring the production of a silly group of kids together to spread the message of friendship, consequences, and the effects the justice system leaves on children.
Mr. Huntley, the production manager of the play, has been enjoying his time with the show and the students involved.
“This is my first show [at LBHS] and since tech is not too crazy. It’s a nice way to ease into it and get to know everybody”, said Huntley. It’s super fun!
After about 6-8 weeks into the play rehearsals, the tech crew finally came into play with aspects such as rigging, costumes & makeup, lighting, finishing set design, and prop-making. The tech crew’s ultimate job is to maintain the behind-the-scenes. This portion is so crucial because Holes would not have a complete play without these magical elements with things such as lighting helping to encapsulate the viewer into the mystical world filled with twists and turns constantly.
Grace Barsamian, the head of tech, leads professionally, being a fantastic role model to all of the crew. In the show, she is in charge of the lighting cues and faces a few setbacks during the process. Some challenges at first for her were basic cues, correct timing, and controlling backstage movers.
“The experience was really great because not only do I get to work with some amazing people in a great environment, but I get to have fun while I continuously learn new things about lighting”, said Barasamian.
The show consists of many significant set transitions handled quickly and seamlessly by the backstage assistant stage managers Moises Ramirez, Anna Sandiquist, and Elise Schultz. They lead the rest of the stage crew and listen to cues from the stage manager, Ayla Keller, who communicates to them from the back of the theatre through a headset.
“If I had to shout out anyone from the tech crew, I would choose Anna”, said 12th grader Amanda Nguyen. She is always on top of her cues and makes the show run smoothly, as usual.
The production is not solely using strong transitions and lighting to enhance the viewer experience; it also utilizes resources to manufacture props that are realistic and unique to the storyline. Some examples can be seen at the show’s prop guns, yellow-spotted lizards, holes decor with sand, pig pens, and can’t forget the pig itself, obviously.
“A prop that brought the storyline to life was Sam’s boat boat”, said 10th grader Rita Capano. There were a lot of people who did help with the transition due to its bulkiness, though.
Although many obstacles and challenges arose throughout the production journey, the talented group of actors, actresses, and technicians brought together an entertaining and fun show that also has critical underlying messages on youth incarceration and the outcasts of society.
