Palpable excitement hangs in the air. “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” a musical comedy set in the prohibition era, opens Dec. 1. Along with gargantuan sets and intense choreography, the show is the first project helmed by new directors Jane Froiland and Kourtnee Baukol, adding a new layer of challenges to the production.
A student who understands the difficulty of merging the new creative team with the pre-existing crew is Stage Manager and senior Bennett Smalley. Smalley oversees the logistical side of the show, helping the various groups working on the project get the resources they need, such as props. He describes the initial chaos of beginning production. “These professional directors and choreographers coming in, they don’t know how we do things [at Edina High School],” Smalley said. “I was actually the one with the most experience [knowing] how we start a show.” But, he appreciated seeing his efforts pay off. “[Teaching the directors was] the hardest bit, but also the most fun and rewarding. They’ve grown into the program and figured out what their role is.”
Praise for the new directors extends onstage, too. Actor and senior Matthew Smith, who plays Senator Max Evergreen, is optimistic. “This is the first full year of theater we’ve had [since COVID-19, our] first full big production. One thing I really love about the program is there’s always a bunch of people who are really willing to work together and try new things,” Smith said. “There are lots of good changes being made and it’s good for everybody [to] have a new refreshing way to think about making art together.”
Perhaps the biggest draw of the show this year are the set pieces, which are more elaborate than previous shows. The complexity of such designs could prove challenging for a high school production. Senior Katherine Doom, the build crew lead, views the scale as more of a challenge that builds community than an obstacle. “I really like having the larger sets because it means that we get to have more people get introduced to build,” Doom said. Like Smalley, she takes pride in teaching new members. “The large sets [have] the abilit[y] of recruiting underclassmen,” she said. “We were able to teach them the ropes.”
This pride reverberates through all aspects of the musical. In the absence of established leadership, the students have taken on a more active role, passing their knowledge on to the next generation. There may have been a learning curve at the beginning, but the whole team has weathered a slew of tribulations without so much as a scratch. The show may be ambitious, but Smith put it best; “I’ve never been this excited about a show.”
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on November 30, 2023.
