Bishop Manogue, as a school known for its sports, should put more funding into the arts department to support a variety of student interests, not just athletes.
COVID-19 halted musical productions, but they returned successfully with muscle The Addams Family and Spamalot, which each had a surprising turnout and sold-out shows. This year’s musical, Grease, had been continuously requested by students. There was a larger group of students who auditioned this year, with 51 people who are going to be part of the show. This is a significantly larger cast than in previous years, with 20 people in the first show and 25 people in the second.
Our stage is made up of sections of table-like structures on wheels. Many people have gotten their heeled shoes or hair stuck within the cracks of the stage, so it’s safe to say that it poses a safety risk. As someone who was involved in the last two shows, I can confidently say that our stage is not built to withstand the weight of 51 students and could collapse, especially since it barely supported the smaller casts in past shows. Even if it did hold up our combined weight, the space on stage is limited, presenting yet another issue for directors to worry about.
Having performed on proper stages before, it’s disappointing to see how poorly funded the art department is, especially since it puts the safety of the actors at risk. Most of the school’s funding goes to sports, leaving the people who are passionate about the arts to feel neglected.
With so little funding, props frequently broke onstage, especially in The Addams Family. A plywood set piece fell over during our performance for the feeder schools. Set pieces made during The Addams Family in general were poorly made and made on a whim. Although Spamalot was funded a little more, the Stage Manager and tech crew still had to make the props from scratch. Directors and cast shouldn’t be the ones responsible for building props and sets, as they need to focus on rehearsals and acting. It makes the production unnecessarily stressful for everyone involved when the students and staff have to put extra time aside for the tasks that we should already be funded.
It’s necessary to increase funding for the arts department, not only to support the passions of all students and not just athletes, but to ensure students can perform safely and effectively.
