Getting the Show on the Road: Behind the Scenes of The Music Man
BY LUKE DROESE '24
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The lights in the auditorium shine once again as Proscenium Circus gears up for the fall musical, The Music Man. In this article, we’ll go behind the scenes to see what goes into preparing the performance.
The Music Man is about a con-man who convinces people in small towns that they are in desperate need for a boys’ marching band, ultimately draining all of the town's money and running off before anyone notices. The Music Man was the first Proscenium Circus musical, performed in 1979, and this year, Gus Cook (‘24) plays the title character, Harold Hill. He says that his favorite part of production is “getting to work to learn with a lot of people and not only just learning from my peers, but also teaching the underclassmen to be the next generation of PC students”. Maria Paunescu (‘24) plays Marian the Librarian in the show, and when asked about what her favorite aspect of the show was, she said, “Everything. It’s my last musical at AB. It’s a golden age musical from the 50’s and it feels right ending on a high note. Theater is not just a storytelling medium. It is a transformative art form.” Fran Roma (‘26), who plays Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, the mayor’s wife, said, “I love acting & singing, but it’s cool to make connections with upperclassmen and people who I don’t normally see.” With all of the work that goes into preparing the musical, there are definitely some challenges that arise with production. Ms. Maguire is the director of The Music Man. “We have 47 actors in the show, and although it’s exciting that we have so many people, it is a challenge to figure out how everyone will fit on stage,” she remarked. Meredith Jablonowski (‘24), the stage manager, added, “[Another challenge] …is building an extension to fit everyone on the stage and making sure the auditorium is quiet enough when someone is performing or Ms. Maguire is talking to all of us.” Going behind the scenes of The Music Man was truly a treat to see. You can see the effort put in by everyone to make this truly a great production for everyone to watch. Live theater is slowly coming back and we all need to come together to support this fantastic program. Tickets for The Music Man will be available for purchase starting Thanksgiving week. Show dates and prices are below: Thursday, December 7 at 7:00pm (Note: student tickets will be $5 that day only for Student Night!) Friday, December 8 at 8:00pm Saturday, December 9 at 1:00pm Saturday, December 9 at 7:00pm Ticket prices are $10 for students/senior citizens and $15 for anyone else. Hope to see you at curtain call! |
