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Have you ever wondered what it takes to put on a production as huge as Cinderella? This year saw an increase in student participation in the spring musical, bringing in over 100 students involved in cast, crew, and pit orchestra. The production also had dozens of intricate costumes designed by Rose Bisogno, and around 25 wigs styled by Brenden DelBene; so it’s safe to say this is the largest show Brewster has seen in years. To really show what it takes to put on a musical of this caliber, I decided to interview a few people involved in the production.

Sophomore Miguel Suarez said that developing the character of Prince Topher was a fun experience for him, “I feel like I see myself in this character, he’s such a kind guy. I feel like I just tried to be a little bit kinder in real life, just becoming an overall nicer person, and that’s exactly how I was able to get into character.” He has expressed that the rehearsal process for Cinderella was an amazing experience. “There were so many really fun memories throughout the rehearsal process, but my favorite is in my song, ‘Me, Who Am I?,’ where Prince Topher is followed around by his rag-tag group of knights and they’re kind of clumsy and falling all over the place, and it was just really funny to watch that number come together for the first time.”

The Cinderella crew had been working around the clock since December to put together our phenomenal set, creating a full castle and forest for the actors to work with. Assistant Crew Chief, Devyn Hoahing, said that “building the set for the show is always a super fun and educational experience,” adding that it was “probably one of the more difficult shows we’ve done, in terms of set changes. There are quite a few really big set change numbers that involve super big pieces in a really short amount of time.” Continuing, she said that “all the changes really help move the story along. One part that was really difficult was probably the trees, we have nine of them and they are all made of papier-mâché and painted and hung from battens, they’ve taken a lot of work to design and make.” When asked about what it’s like to be a part of the stage crew, she said that “working backstage for these shows is always super exciting and fun.” With an excited crew, “we always have fun with big set changes and just absolutely love watching the actors use the things that we’ve made and watching the show come to life. I always feel nervous backstage because there are some really big and fast moving set changes and we really wanna make sure everything goes swiftly and smoothly. But it’s always super fun and rewarding, I would never stop doing it.”

While this may be his first year working full time at BHS, director Richard Grasso is no stranger to the Brewster theater program. He has been involved in many shows during his time here as a student, and even came back to direct after he graduated, including this year’s fall drama. He said that he felt it was really great and important to have “a golden age, Rogers and Hammerstein, musical opportunity for students here.” He mentioned that he had noticed “that in the last few years of shows here, there wasn’t a show quite like that done here in a while, and I thought that would have been a really great opportunity.” With this production,“it also allowed for a large cast, and I wanted to bring a lot of students involved in the cast, crew, and pit orchestra.” For the undertaking that it all was, he also said, “I think what is amazing about Brewster High School’s music and theater department is there is a ton of commitment from students. They treat this like a Broadway show, they understand how important this is, and they take it really seriously. And while so many other students in other schools do as well, I really find that here students take this seriously right from the start, all the way to the very last show. They understand safety, respect the art form, and perform as best and as strongly as they can. That’s what really sets Brewster apart from the rest.”

I personally want to give a huge shout-out to everyone who worked on Cinderella, we truly put on an incredible show and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this department! The cast made this such an unforgettable experience and this timeless classic was the perfect way to end my first year of theater with BHS.