West Delaware students Lucas Jolley (11), Josh Sleper (10), and Hayden Tucker (11) are stepping from behind the curtain into the spotlight after previously being a part of the stage crew.
The boys decided to take the challenge and step on stage during this year’s spring play, “Anchors Aweigh” by Craig Sodaro.
Director Tina Ostrander is always excited when people transition from the stage crew to the cast.
“This is not typical because so many people don’t want to be in the spotlight or just love the technology of being in tech or crew,” Ostrander said.
According to Ostrander, over the past four to five years, two or three crew members have given acting a try.
“Typically for play we will get someone from musical who wants to try acting but was in crew for musical,” Ostrander said. “This is usually because singing is not for them.”
Sleper, who previously worked in the sound booth, is enjoying his new role in the play.
“My character is Max, and basically he’s a thug that’s undercover on this ship, trying to escape these other bad guys,” Sleper said. “My character gets to go undercover as an old grandma, so we steal grandma gowns, called muumuus, and wear those along with old grandma hats.”
At first, Sleper was unsure about his new role.
“I might have been a little uncomfortable, but Lucas and I got pretty used to it, and it just became fun,” Sleper said.
Sleper originally found the sound booth stressful, especially keeping all of the mics powered and cueing up all the sounds.
However, he soon learned that there’s a lot of pressure for the actors and the actresses.
Sleper’s pressure includes knowing his lines, knowing how to pronounce his words correctly, and knowing how to use his actions to show his emotions.
Jolley also ran the sound booth for the past two years. He plays Bubba, a gangster who snuck onto the ship.
Jolley is happy with his role because he gets to make people laugh.
On stage, Jolley encountered some new challenges.
“I have to be at a lot more practices, and it’s a lot more pressure,” Jolley said. “I feel pressure because it is a big role and it’s my first time acting.”
Although Jolley has to face those challenges, he looks past them.
“It’s going really good so far,” Jolley said. “I really like my role.”
While Tucker previously found interest in being backstage, he wanted to try something different.
“During the musical season, I helped to build a set,” Tucker said. “It’s more fun to be on stage because I feel like part of the production and not just the guy who built the set.”
Tucker plays the role of Ishmael, the mechanic of the ship. He enjoys his role, along with hanging out with his friends.
While Jolley and Sleper both feel pressure, Tucker is the opposite.
“I don’t feel any pressure anymore,” said Tucker. “I did at the beginning of the season because I was on the edge about actually doing play.”
Tucker is proud of his ability to memorize lines, while Sleper is excited for the new opportunity.
“I believe it is great to try new things because you only experience high school once,” Tucker said. “During these years, you can try tons of new things, and if you don’t like them, you aren’t locked into doing those things for life. You can make mistakes without consequences.”
