By: Eli Duah-Mensah
To purchase the tickets for Grease, click here: http://heritagehighschooltheatre.weebly.com/
Kristen Wright (Jan:)
Tell me about yourself!
My name is Kristen Wright! I am a senior at Heritage High. I have a dog named Hailey, and I play Jan in Grease as well as being a stage manager. Outside of theater, I am co-vice President of Science Olympiad, and I am President of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes.)
What’s your experience with clubs?
It’s been good! I’m in a lot of clubs, so it’s a little hard to manage with Grease, but when Grease is over, hopefully I’ll have more time for them.
Describe your role as a performer to a person who knows nothing about theater.
I play Jan, who is one of the pink ladies in Grease. She’s always playing with food, she’s really sassy, and confident in herself and surrounded by her friends, but when she’s around a guy she likes she gets nervous.
What does theater mean to you?
It’s been really fun, I love it. It’s not just a hobby, it’s a family. It gives me the freedom to express myself, and have a great time, and not a lot of places are like that.
What has been your experience with your theater class or classes?
Pretty much the same as normal theater. First semester we had a class where everyone in Grease was in it, but now we do practices outside of school. It’s a little chaotic to have 60 people in the same room, but it’s also nice because you meet new people from different backgrounds, share their experiences, and share your experiences, so it’s a really cool thing.
How did you get into theater (performing)?
I’ve sang in church choirs since I was in kindergarten, but I didn’t know about theater until high school. I didn’t have many friends in theater, but I took Theater I my freshman year; it was mostly tech theater. I was ensemble in Frozen, Tarzan, and Little Shop. It kinda just happened; I love trying new things and even though this was a new thing for me, and I loved it.
Favorite show?
Kinda hard to say. I love different parts of each one, but I will say for Little Shop we had too little time, so we didn’t get to do much with it, but with Grease we had double the time, so we get to do much more with it.
Can you describe, if you have any, fears about performing this show?
Yeah, I do get scared that my mic may not be on when it’s supposed to, or I’ll sing a note off, but those kinds of things always happen, and I trust my crew members to where I know that they’re gonna do they’re best to make sure things are running smoothly, and I’ll do my best to do the same for them. And you know, no show is perfect, there’s going to be things that mess up. I was in tech theater for Tarzan, Frozen and Little Shop, and there’s always things that are gonna mess up. But more often than not, the audience doesn’t notice, so it’s usually not that big of a deal!
What is the best part about performing in Grease?
I just like the character that I am; I love Jan so much. All the pink ladies are supposed to be sexy and fun, and Jan is like that but sometimes you don’t even know why Jan is there because she is more toned down than the other pink ladies, but she’s just sassy and fun.
What advice would you give to a person who is interested in theater?
If they’re scared about doing it, and they’re never done it before, I would say just try it. When I first started my junior year, I thought I was never gonna be a lead; I even wanted to quit the ensemble because I couldn’t dance! But it is so much fun, and you meet people who are different from you.
Is there anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to talk about?
I don’t think so!
Walker & Lily (Danny and Sandy:)
We switched things up for these interviews and decided to do a video!
https://youtu.be/34FVqFdIX4s
Liliana Rosa (Frenchy, Week 1:)
Tell me about yourself!
I’m Liliana Rosa, and I’m a senior! Outside of theater, I’m the captain of Heritage’s dance team and the K-pop dance team! I also do graphic design as a side hobby.
Describe your role as a performer to a person who knows nothing about theater.
It’s a lot of memorization and hard work. You can’t just do things, you have to PERFORM them. Everything from the singing, to the dancing, to the acting, has to be at 100 [for] the audience!
What is your role in the Grease musical?
I’m a lead, playing Frenchy in week one!
What does theater mean to you?
It means friendship and fun, all united through song and dance. The performing arts mean everything to me, especially dance.
What has been your experience with your theater class or classes?
It’s very chaotic, but it’s not necessarily bad chaos– there’s lots of friends to be made, but the class isn’t for the soft-hearted.
How did you get into theater?
After a dance show, Mr. Phoebus made sure to catch me backstage. He immediately encouraged me to join theater, and from there, it’s [been] history!!
Can you describe, if you have one, a favorite story about a performance you’ve completed?
My first Heritage performance was Little Shop of Horrors, and one of my favorite moments was probably right after we finished “Closed for Renovation.” I stayed onstage longer than most, so as soon as I was shooed off in the following scene, I SPRINTED through the dance room! It always was so chaotic but the adrenaline rush was so fun! I miss Little Shop sometimes.
Can you describe, if you have any, fears about performing this show?
I have multiple quick changes, including wigs. I’m probably getting more worked up than I should about it, but it’s still scary!
Describe a day preparing for Grease.
We typically will have a number to be focused on for some time, and those in it will have it cleaned by dance captains or our choreographer, Jose. Those who aren’t in the number will go practice with a different one outside the theater. Every single detail has to keep the energy appropriate for the scene, so these cleaning sessions are what’s most important! As a lead, we’ll stay later to run scenes and make sure that pacing gets tighter with every run through.
What is the best part about performing in Grease?
The friends that I made make all of the drama worth persevering through. The connections to the people around you become unbreakable, and it all comes together in a show.
What advice would you give to a person who is interested in theater?
Theatre takes a lot of heart and perseverance. If you don’t have passion for it, you won’t get very far in the class. Prove that you want to be there— it doesn’t go unnoticed!
Is there anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to talk about?
Nope! That’ll be all 🙂
Emmy Wood (Jan:)
Tell me about yourself!
My name is Emmy Wood, I’m a senior and I do theater and FFA (Future Farmers of America) here at school.
Describe your role as a performer to a person who knows nothing about theater.
I love performing and hope to encourage others around me to do so!
What is your role in Grease?
I play Jan in Grease!
What does theater mean to you?
Theater has been such an outlet for self-expression and an encouraging environment to be around!
Describe a day preparing for Grease.
A day preparing for Grease would look like going over lines and reviewing dances until they look just right!
How did you get into theater?
I started in middle school,being a part of High School Musical! [and it] sounded like it would be fun to be a part of.
Can you describe, if you have any, fears about performing the show?
I’m nervous to mess up on stage and disappoint anyone who helped put the show together.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in theater?
If you are interested in doing theater, go for it! Don’t let anyone stop you. Once you’ve done it, you’ll find it’s an amazing opportunity and community!
The Heritage Herald 