The student directors’ roles are vital to a production’s success. They write down blocking for each character, play the musical tracks before the actors join the orchestra, do paperwork, and much more. They do a lot of the work that the audience doesn’t see.
This year, the student directors are senior Ava Arnold and sophomore Riley Smith.
When asked what her favorite part of being a student director is, Arnold said, “My favorite parts are watching the Young Wills in rehearsal and working with Ms. Davin.”
Ava Arnold is a senior and is a member of Concert Choir and Top 21.
She has participated in numerous shows at the high school and in the community.
She was in the ensemble for both BPHS’s productions of “Cinderella” and “The Addams Family.”
This past winter, she was Cigarette Girl and Dance Captain in Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” at Little Lake alongside senior Dylan Lawton who plays Will in “Big Fish.”
She also performed as Princess Fiona in “Shrek Jr.” and the Candy Man/Phinneous Trout in “Willy Wonka Jr.” at Little Lake Theatre.
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf collaborates with Little Lake Theater, and Arnold played Roberta in their production of “Captain Louie Jr.”, where she performed in both American Sign Language and spoken English.
When asked what her favorite memory is from past BPHS musicals, Arnold said: “My favorite memories of the high school musicals are either the pre-show ritual in the girl’s dressing room or watching the fairy godmother fly across stage opening night my sophomore year from the wings. It was amazing to see her soar amongst the twinkling lights and hear the audience gasp in delight.”
Along with being a student director, Arnold will also perform in the ensemble of “Big Fish.”
After high school, Arnold plans to attend West Virginia University for Wildlife and Fisheries Resources.
Riley Smith is a sophomore at BPHS and is a current member of Symphonic Band and Treble Choir. Next year, she will be a member of Top 21.
Smith performed in the ensemble of “The Addams Family” last year and had two featured roles in “Annie Jr.” at IMS.
Along with being student director, Smith assists Mrs. Fontana, Mrs. Lodge, and Mrs. Blum with costumes.
“It’s like a fun surprise to see all of the items we have under the stage,” Smith said.
When asked how her time working with the directors has been, she said: “I appreciate that they consider my inputs and they don’t just brush off what I said. I am very thankful that I have this great opportunity to work behind the scenes for the musical.”
When asked why people should see the musical, Smith said, “The music is a ten out of ten and the cast is crazy talented.”
Tickets to see “Big Fish” led by student-directors Ava Arnold and Riley Smith only cost $10 and can be reserved here or by scanning the QR code below.
