Behind the curtains at Niagara Falls High School
F our years ago the Niagara Proscenium Players, also known as the students of Niagara Falls High School’s theater classes, needed a new way to raise funds that didn’t involve selling candy bars in order to attend the New York State Theatre Education Association conference in January.
They came to the conclusion to do none other than what they do best — perform! Thus, Behind the Proscenium was born, a variety show put together in a week by students in order to show off the talent they have and raise money for the conference.
The show is not like many other shows. A proscenium is the area of a theater located between the curtain and the orchestra, so behind the proscenium is what happens behind the curtains—which includes the audience on stage, sitting around tables giving the show a feeling of being in a 1920s nightclub.
Auditions are held, then performers have two weeks to practice on their own. The week of the show, the performers meet with the student directors, who this year were seniors April Wheaton and Louis Fernandez, learn dances to the group numbers, have dress rehearsal and tech rehearsal, and then it’s showtime!
This year the group numbers included “Fame,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine,” and a preview of the spring musical, “Pippin,” with its opening song, “Magic to Do” for the finale.
“It’s a fun experience for students to show off personal talents and to show what theater class really does,” said Louis, one of the student directors.
Why is it worth a week of chaos? Ask any theater student and they will tell you the NYSTEA conference is a great experience. Take 700 theater students, put them up in a resort, and have them take classes on acting, singing, staging, dancing, makeup, stage fighting and costumes, and they not only love theater more but meet some of their best friends.
“You get to meet people from all over the state, you mingle with people the same age who are into the exact same thing as you. Even though you live only a few hours away, it’s neat to see how things can be so different. It’s cool to do what you love with a whole new group of people,” said Trevor Hall, a two-year conference veteran and Niagara Falls senior.
This year’s show was a success, making audiences laugh with a rendition of “Who’s on First” by Dustin Joseph and Trevor, cry with a duet by Louis and Ali Casale of “Home,” and applaud for the short skit “10,000 Cigarettes” performed by seniors Diarra Brathwaite, Dolores Pereia, Sharika Palmer and Keanu Smith.
The Niagara Proscenium Players will perform “Just Another High School Play” from Nov. 19 to 21.
Isabella Fagiani is a sophomore at Niagara Falls High School.
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