Darby Waters

As the theater department begins rehearsing Diary of A Wimpy Kid: The Musical, the cast and crew members are excited to showcase this performance to the BSM community later in the spring.

As springtime rolls around, bright lights hit the stage in the theater for the spring performance. This year, the play will be the newly released Diary of A Wimpy Kid: The Musical and the cast and crew are extremely excited.

Director Jake Mahler chose this play for two reasons. Firstly, Mahler’s brother wrote the music for when the musical was originally commissioned at the Children’s Theater in Minneapolis. “It is a show that has not been performed by very many schools in its entirety. So us [Benilde-St. Margaret’s] being one of the first schools to do the full-length version is cool,” Mahler said.

Secondly, Mahler saw Diary of A Wimpy Kid as a relevant play for teenagers going through uncomfortable times and hardships. “When you are in middle school, you are trying to find where you fit in, how to be popular, but also how to be a good friend, and how to be true to who you are, and all those dynamics are still common themes for what everyone is going through in high school,” Mahler said.

When the announcement of the spring play was released, some cast members were uncertain about this performance because not many schools had put on this performance before, and its music isn’t extremely popular in theater departments. As the play process begins, the attitudes have shifted and students are now ready for a thrilling performance ahead of them. “I have grown to love it. And I think everyone in the cast has…now that we are at that point of rehearsing, it’s fun,” junior Nico Peterson said.

Producing and putting together a performance is much easier said than done. There are countless hours of hard work and dedication that happen behind the scenes. Even in the chaotic and stressful moments of early rehearsals, the production process is loved by many of the cast and crew members. “The most chaotic part is when we add costumes and quick changes because that’s when I realize I do not have as much time in between scenes as I thought and I need to change outfits and switch to the other side of the stage…it’s stressful but fun,” Peterson said.

Behind the stage, the crew and technology operation are hard at work with their constant management of the props, costumes, lighting, and more. “As a stage manager, you have to make sure everything is in the correct place. And then you also are in charge of all the props and quick changes,” junior Kaitlyn Cape said.

The theater department’s unique attributes, such as a welcoming atmosphere, set it apart from clubs at BSM and drama programs at other schools. Its cast and crew are composed of a diverse group of students: choir kids, passionate actors, dancers, or students who don’t fall into any of these categories. This community is a safe space for everyone. “No matter where you come from, no matter what other sports you do, if you do any sports at all, you are always welcome,” Peterson said.