Let’s take a peek backstage:  Morton East’s “Crucible” production helps students come out of their shells.

As students started lining up to audition for the new upcoming play “The Crucible” many of the spots were limited, many fought to have a role but only a few made it through. In this upcoming event, there will be a lot of recitals and work involving the set and lights. It’ll be a simple set where the audience can be a part of this play. There will be an out-of-school costume designer, set designer, and lighting designer. This show is not recommended for children under 12 years of age since some of the scenes can be very unsettling and inappropriate due to foul language and violence. Many Morton students are excited about this upcoming performance. the play will be in the Morton east auditorium and the tickets and ticket prices will be available a month before the play releases, you can get the tickets at the entrance.

According to the Appalachian Department Of Theater And Dance, “25 life skills learned in theater”, the theater is made out not only to help you come out of your shell but also to help you build communication skills and problem-solving abilities. Gaining confidence to be able to perform in front of big crowds is not easy but with constant practice of running your lines and helping your cast members, you can achieve this by putting on an amazing show at the end without a doubt. Originally, students usually decide to join theater/ drama clubs to develop new confidence qualities and motivation to be less shy and become more extroverted people for the world outside of school. In addition, this club also helps you with evolving time budgeting skills. When being a high school student it can be very challenging to balance your homework assignments, work, and your outside-of-school hobbies while also at the same time being able to express yourself in the things you love.  Such as participating in plays and musicals. With sacrifice and high motivation if you really want to, truly anything is possible and achievable. In a random survey of about 67 Morton East students, about 40 of them said that they indeed have been in a play before, not just on stage but on different parts of the set as well. These different plays included in the survey were Tuck Everlasting and The Wizard of Oz which showed here at Morton East last year in 2021.    

 “Theater has changed my life in total, in so many ways that I can’t describe. The people in the show either, the director, the stage crew, and the cast mates have all changed me emotionally. The theater has made me grow as a person and has expanded my comfort zone so much that I’m forever grateful,” sophomore Vinnie Acosta, who plays Elizabeth Proctor, said. 

Similarly, to Vinnie Acosta, junior Katherine Trujillo thinks theater and ‘The Crucible’ has influenced her life in a positive way and for the better. “Theater changed me. It has given me many opportunities and has helped me understand myself more. Theater made me unlock many talents of my own like singing, dancing, acting, etc. It is a good emotional release, and it can help you get through issues. I totally recommend joining theater whenever you get the chance,” junior Katherine Trujillo, who plays Abigail Williams, said.   

The character Abigail Williams is a very vengeful, selfish, and manipulated soul, as she has the power to spread diseases and death everywhere she goes. Being able to gain possession over people makes her even crazier since she is genuinely capable of witchcraft. This leads me to the ‘spiritual doctor’ in the play that is Reverend Hale played by senior Angel Contreras. 

“Theater has changed my life by giving me the feeling that I can really chase the dream of being an actor. I am excited to show my acting skills to everyone who comes and sees our show,” senior Angel Contreras, who plays Reverend Hale, said. 

Along with Angel Contreras, Guillermo Rodriguez sees eye to eye with theater being a long-time career outside of high school, he says

 “Theater has given me the confidence I needed to succeed in all aspects of life. I am looking forward to performing a show on the round, which is where the audience is all around the stage,” senior Guillermo Rodriguez, who plays John Proctor, said.  

Director and Morton East teacher Tyler Lubinus agrees with Guillermo Rodriguez by saying

 “A lot of spooky fun in this play, this will help students get out of their shell one big step at a time,” Tyler Lubinus, director of The Crucible, said. 

Most importantly, the Mustang theater program hopes to see you there.32222