How do you produce a play? The process appears to be a long and complicated one, but student directors of “The Day the Internet Died” Sophia Brawner and Haley Uselman will break it down for you.
First, how do you even get the job of directing? Does it fall in your lap? Do you have to search it out?
Haley, a senior here at BPHS, said, ”I’ve always had an interest in student directing, and I’ve always been involved in fall play, so when Mr. Plummer asked for someone to take up this role, it was easy to join.”
Sophia, also a senior, had a largely similar experience.
“I wanted to be a student director because I’ve been in fall play for three years now, and I figured it would help me keep busy during the process,” she said.
Okay, perfect! Now that the job is filled, what does the gig involve? Well firstly, you have to direct the actors during the rehearsal.
When asked about what a typical rehearsal looks like, Haley said: “Everyone comes in, and we all say our hellos. Then we start practicing and some great ideas and performances come from the actors. There is a lot of laughing, but we always try to stay focused. Overall, it’s really fun and a rewarding experience.”
The fall play crew spends many weeks preparing for the show. This can be quite a commitment. Naturally, it’s important to balance your directing life with your school life.
Haley suggests, “You just have to get really good at time management. I’ve learned to do my school work every second I can, but when I’m at fall play, my focus is on fall play.”
Once you wrap rehearsal up, it’s showtime! But how do you get people to come and see the show you put so much time and effort into?
When asked how she plans to promote the show, Sophia said: “I’ve been trying to promote it in multiple ways such as on TikTok and Instagram. I think it is important to spread the word because we are really proud of what we created, and we want people to come and see it”
Student directing seems like a lot of work. What exactly is the draw to directing?
“It’s all worth it because I am able to get really close to all of the cast and support them as actors during their scenes. Getting to be part of this awesome process makes it all worth it,” said Sophia.
If you want to see the results of the directing that Haley and Sophia have done, make sure to catch “The Day the Internet Died” at BPHS from Nov. 7-9! And also be sure to follow their Instagram account.
