Things are poppin’ behind the scenes of ‘Mary Poppins’

When people go to an HHS musical they see the main characters, costumes, singing, scene changes, and the lights, but few know how all of those things manage to happen in one show. Many students participate behind the scenes to make the magic happen.

Senior Bella Hankins is the light board operator and is excited to see the show come together.

“Though it’s super scary to make sure I hit everything at the right time, my favorite thing about it is seeing the show come to life,” Hankins said.

Hankins usually comes in at the beginning of tech week when everything is ready to be performed. She loves the experience of the behind-the-scenes action.

“Mary Poppins” requires that five students fly during the course of the play. Senior Michael Quisenberry is part of the flight crew and stage crew, Quisenberry’s job makes possible what little children want to see on the stage– to see the characters fly.

“Being able to fly in this show not only makes the cast enjoy it more, but it brings joy to all the little kids who come to watch the show,” Quisenberry said.

It’s not just M. Quisenberry though. Junior Jaxson Quisenberry and sophomores Henry Quinn and James Hutchinson are a massive part of the show and help. All three of them are ready for all of the chaos.

“It’s pretty fun, but it’s also hard work. It will all be worth it in the end,” Quinn said.

Hutchinson concurs.

“It can be kind of difficult, but it is definitely worth it. People are going to love the flying scenes,” Hutchinson said.

John Hart is the sound director for this show and previous shows as well, and he is also excited for the show to come together. Hart’s daughter, Maggie Hart (2003) was a staple of the HHS theater department during her high school years.

Hannah Drake is the director of the musical and moving set pieces are super important to her. Drake also wants everything to be very organized. She works it like a puzzle or a road map, deciding where the set pieces go and the order in which they appear and disappear. Organization is key to moving set pieces for any show.

“If the sets are not moved in a nice, clean flow, it takes you out of the moment, the pacing is wrong, and you lose the audience, ” Drake said.

The set’s pieces make any show come to life. The dads of the students in “Mary Poppins” helped with the sets, and they worked hard to make them look amazing. Math teacher Gabe Angelly is one of the dads that made the set pieces come to life.

“I love being a part of the creativity of it all and seeing the vision that Drake wanted,” Angelly said.