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Emma Willard School’s Theatre Company wowed sold-out audiences with their production of the winter musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Cast and Crew alike pulled out all the stops to make the first musical production in Bennack Theater a spectacular one!
Timing is Everything
When Theatre Instructor Faith Lawson “Flawson” chose this year’s winter production, the time was right for a musical. The student body showed the talent necessary, and they were ready to test the bounds of the new Bennack Theater space. “I’ve been wanting to do a musical, but just wanted to do the right one,” Flawson shares. “I thought I’d love to do Little Shop because I could worry less about the intricate choreography and the crazy, larger-than-life sets of some musicals. It was also on my list because I've been wanting to do a show with puppets—specifically, Audrey 2 is one of my favorite puppets to watch on stage.”
The timing was also perfect for Emma B. ’29, who has always dreamed of playing the part of Seymour on Broadway. With 27 productions under her belt, most of them junior productions in community theatre, Emma really hoped this would be her opportunity for a first step into the part. “I feel like we have a lot of the same characteristics,” Emma explains of her connection to her character. “It was easy stepping into that role—we’re both awkward,” she laughs. “He overcame his self-consciousness throughout the show. At the beginning, he could hardly talk to Audrey, but in the end, he realized that Audrey would love him no matter what. And even Mushnik—he was happy to see that he would accept him in some way. I really loved it, and I feel like I was waiting for this type of musical to be able to do.”
Mushnik (Sophianandini M-B. ’28), Seymour (Emma B. ’29), and Audrey (Rose S. ’29) perform “Closed For Renovations.”
The street urchins—Diamond (Olivia V. ’28), Ronnette (Sofya M-I. ’29), Chiffon (Doris J. ’29), Liberty (Ella B. ’26)—and Wino/Bernstein (Zander P. ’29) narrate the latest happenings on “Skid Row.”
Interviewer/Luce (Amisha N. ’28), Martin (Zola P. ’29), Orin (Anika S. ’27), and Skip Snip (Asa B. ’28) perform “Closed For Renovations” with the ensemble.
Becoming Audrey 2
Annie P. ’27, who acted as puppeteer for the smaller iterations of Audrey 2 (aka “The Plant”), stepped into the role when a friend had to step down from the part. “I am a very introverted person, and I'd likely never step under the spotlight in an acting role for fear of being judged,” Annie explains, “but the puppeteering job offered an in-between, with the ability to stay hidden like tech crew, but also a chance to perform.”
Seymour feeds the remains of Orin to Audrey 2, with Annie waiting underneath to accept them.
The variations of Audrey 2, voiced and performed by Gisele N. ’26, presented opportunities for both Annie’s debut on stage and costume designer Asa B. ’28 (who also played Skip Snip and choreographed the show) to stretch her creative muscles. An experienced seamstress, Asa has a knack for imagining creations out of both fabric and cardboard (and any other materials at hand). And Flawson admits to having had a vision for what Plant #3, the largest version of Audrey 2, could be as an avant-garde work of wearable art.
In a departure from traditional renditions of the puppet, the full-grown plant was manifested in a floor-length ballgown, with layers of hoop skirts that formed the mouth and “traps” for hands. “I draped them in the fabric that I used for the rest of the costume,” Asa explains, “and I hand-painted the teeth on the underside. Those are made with cardboard that I cut so that when I attached all the pieces, they'd curve slightly. Gisele is wearing a full green bodysuit underneath, so she slides them onto her hands with straps.”
From lighting designed by Renata L. ’26 and operated by Elsa M. ’26 to costume design by Asa B. ’28, the final rendition of Audrey 2 is a horrifying sight to behold.
Pulling it All Together
No show would be complete without all the intricate details. “The crew building and moving the set, the props, designing the lights, the actors with their lines, the stylists with the costumes, all come together to tell the story,” Flawson explains. “How do we all become collaborative storytellers so that all these moving parts really do mesh seamlessly? That's not an easy task to do for professionals, let alone kids who are working in a production class they're taking every day after school.”
And yet, they did come together seamlessly, under the guidance of Artistic Theatre Director Flawson along with Technical Theatre Director Rachael Robison, Stage Manager Comet D. ’26, Assistant Stage Manager Lada S. ’27, and Associate Scenic Designer Lisa B. ’27.
A close-up of the inside of the dentist’s office (including patients played by Zola P. ’29 and Evelyn Z. ’29) reveals the structure of the movable set pieces, which made up both the inside and outside of Mushnik’s Flower Shop as well. Deck Crew Lisa B. ’27, Kendall B. ’26, Eden K. ’27, Bella L. ’28, Renata L. ’26, Eamon S. ’28, and Violet W. ’27 performed a choreography of their own, moving set pieces into position for each new scene.
“The most rewarding part of every production for me is seeing everything being pulled together by the character's looks in tech and show week, because it really just adds to the effect of the entire show,” says Head Hair and Makeup Stylist Sophia M. ’27. “I also really love being in the dressing room with all of the actors and my co-stylists, because it's easy for people to really connect and share things they love while getting ready in the dressing room. I get to see a lot of connections form and friendships begin, and the actors are always amazing at supporting each other.”
The Final Result
In the end, so many things must fall into place to create such a spectacular show—and these are the fruits of many, many hours of dedication and hard work.
The finale showcases more than just performers: the audience can appreciate Asa’s choreography work, the always-on-cue sound by Soli L-B. ’29, costume changes orchestrated by Katya B. ’27 and Olivia W. ’29, added touches of makeup by Sophia and Nikita X. ’29, and the ever-present prop work of Annie P. ’27, Helen L. ’28, and Catherine S. ’28.
Beyond the performance itself, the process teaches many lessons:
“Sometimes it's hard to collect myself when there is so much going on, but as my skills and experience have grown, I have learned a lot of patience during stressful times. Along with my growing patience, I have noticed that stage makeup has become much easier for me to do on autopilot. In my first production, it was hard to believe that something so exaggerated could look good on stage. Now I know almost exactly what should happen for every character!” —Head Stylist Sophia M. ’27
“I improved my time management skills. The added commitment really beat all the procrastination out of me. For anyone with procrastination issues, I really suggest joining the theatre family; it works like magic!” —Puppeteer Annie P. ’27
“I was kind of worried that, with all these responsibilities, would I still like doing theatre after this? But it honestly made me love it more. In bringing this show to life, I learned that you'll enjoy theatre even more when you can see more parts of it.” —Actor/Designer/Choreographer Asa B. ’28
“I learned that I don't have to push myself so hard. I was striving for perfection, and I just realized in the end that you don't really need perfection to thrive.” —Actor Emma B. ’29
“I couldn't be more proud,” Flawson concludes. “All of these students inspire me, and this year showed me that we could definitely do more. Every show is a different experience, but they inspire me to just keep dreaming and keep pushing them, too.”
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Visit our SmugMug to see more photos from the performance.
The cast and crew gave special thanks in their playbill—with cover design by Katya B. ’27—to History Instructor Michael Lorino for lending his vocals to “The Voice of God” at the opening of the play, Vocal Instructor Emily Rosoff for coaching the cast on their songs, and Mathematics Instructor Laszlo Bardos for his assistance in building and assembling props and scenery.
Want to learn more about the theatre program at Emma Willard? Visit the Theatre Department or contact Admissions.
Find more interesting stories about Emma Willard School on our Newsroom page.