Manogue, known for its well-funded, winning sports teams, needs to start redirecting some of that funding to its Performing Arts Department, specifically the Spring Musical. The Musical is in dire need of better funding, not only to offer more feasible musical choices, reduce stress among those involved, and allow for a better performance, but also (most importantly) to ensure the safety of performers and crew.
Manogue’s stage, if it can even be called a stage, is old, tucked into a little corner of the small gym, taken out for rehearsals a only few weeks before opening night, and, most concerningly, made up of a grid of platforms on wheels that are pushed into the gym’s alcove and are held together with rickety screws and clamps, an obviously unsafe setup. It’s dangerous for anyone who might need to maneuver the stage during a show, where they already have to remember dance moves and lyrics, or props that need to be switched, getting them on and off stage in seconds. It’s dangerous because performers already have bright stage lights in their eyes and potentially hindering costumes, and crew has to maneuver heavy things in the dark. It’s dangerous because they should not have to worry about tripping on the uneven platforms, getting their heels stuck in the stage, or the ground literally moving under their feet as they try to perform. These dangers are unnecessary when everyone already has to deal with all of the stress and on-the-go problem solving that comes with putting on a musical.
Safety is only the first problem with the musical’s current set up. Because the stage is in an alcove of the small gym, there is no backstage already built in, so the platforms have to be moved forward, and the directors have to add wings that extend on the sides of the stage, first made up of move-able walls on wheels, then transitioned to curtains that are practically see-through. This makes it so the audience can partly see in to the wings, taking away some of the secrecy and magic that comes with a musical. The next problem comes with the props and set. Due to the lack of funding, the crew, cast, and directors have to make some of the props on their own or go out and buy them separately. This causes a lot of unnecessary stress for everyone, who have to worry about building props and set and buying their own costumes on top of working on the actual musical, and it again takes away some of the magic when the props aren’t quite right and fall apart halfway through performances. The set also has to be built, often by volunteers and directors. For instance, Grease Lightning, the large car prop from last year, needed to be built by hand, and required four stage crew to move on and off stage. Because there’s so little room available, it had to be moved on two unstable plastic tables by four crew members. Another issue that arises from lack of funding and lack of room, is that the “dressing room” is a storage closet on the right side of the stage. The problems with this dressing room are a) that it’s not actually a dressing room, b) it’s only on one side of the stage (meaning girls on the left side of the stage have to change in the wings, around the boys and the see through curtains), and c) it only allows for girls to have a dressing room, leaving boys to do costume changes backstage. Also, there are constantly problems with faulty tech; the microphones are old and stop working often, and the lighting is complicated and difficult to fix, especially without a stable stage to help reach the lights at the top. Finally, the lack of funding makes it difficult to afford the rights to many bigger shows, and therefore better props, tech, and more time to cement the dances, songs, and set directions.
This is not a new problem. Manogue’s theater department has had a lack of funding for years. Whether it was The Addams Family, Spamalot, Grease, or likely this year’s Mamma Mia!, actors and crew had to work with that same ramshackle stage, the same see-through backstage, the same lack of appropriate props and sets, and the rest problems I mentioned above. And I’m not saying nothing’s changed because things have gotten better since Addams Family. Grease and Spamalot were better funded than Addams Family, and many parents/kids helped do better fundraising for those shows. But it’s still not enough to fix the problems necessary to make the Musical safe and smooth. The funding from the school goes towards the rights to the musical, meaning other costs, like costumes, props, sets, and tech, come from the cast and directors. The cast provides funding through cast participation fees and the rest comes straight from the pockets of the directors and still the cast. Then what is paid out of pocket must be made up in ticket sales, which typically does not happen. When we buy the rights to smaller shows (like Spamalot and Addams Family), we have better funding for everything else, but no one really wants to come see those shows, compared to buying rights to bigger shows (like Grease) that everyone wants to come see, but the quality of the show production is worse because of the high cost of the rights. See the dilemma? I’m not the first person to talk about this. Students have been requesting better funding for the theater program for years, and students last year started to come up with better fundraising ideas.
This ongoing problem should be addressed here at Manogue because funding for musicals can help to improve performances, show quality, reduce the stress of putting it together, and keep those involved safe.
