Production Notes
In January of 2002, Hudson Catholic hired Emily Snyder as drama director for their spring show. She was shown where the stage had been ripped out leaving a gaping void in the gymacafetorium, she was told the sets, props and costumes had all been thrown out a few years previously, she was given no budget whatsoever, was left to beg for rehearsal space...and put on a show.
Her previous credits to this point had only included two stabs at Shakespeare scenes (ironically, the nunnery scene from Hamlet nd "Pyramus and Thisbe" from A Midsummer Night's Dream). However, when she met with the students and asked them what they wanted to do, they said that they had just read this really great play in English class: Twelfth Night. Well, who was she to argue with high school students who wanted to put on Shakespeare?
Of course, we had no stage, no costumes, no budget - and frankly precious little actor (or director) training. We found a home (at last) at Hudson Town Hall, which itself had no backstage, no wings, and giant freaking windows that made spotlights useless. We also had no microphones, the barest sets discovered in the basement of the parish and painted on paper, costumes gleaned from the attic and made at tech week - and yet, we also had the rebirth of HCH drama.
One point of interest lies in that Twelfth Night also set the precedent of sword or gun play (stage combat) in the shows. This was for a few reasons: the play calls for various duels, it's wicked fun to see good stage combat, and it's a great way to get young gents interested in theatre. (In fact, I've bribed more than one young gent with the promise of safe stage weaponry into the limelight: Brigadoon, Midsummer's, King of Fools - bribed the girls in that one! - Nutcracker, Hamlet, Guys and Dolls, and as of this writing Much Ado. Bwahahhahahha.) So there you are - good tidbit.
If one wonders why there are so many masks running about in the pictures, the idea was based off of Viola's line "Disguise! I see thou art a wickedness!" The concept was that everyone who was "hiding" themselves would wear a mask, if or until such a time that they were truly themselves. What we learned is that masks are really hot to wear and that the standard ones one buys at a store require the eyes to be made larger and the section of the nose to be cut out. We did better with Bearskin.
Oh! And Twelfth Night gave birth to THE WIG. May it rest in peace.
Sir Toby Belch...T. J. Coolidge
Maria...Veronica Hanson
Sir Andrew Aguecheek...Nate Baran
Feste the Jester...Damon Barbieri
