By Ashley D’Ambrosia

Every February, the 8th Grade at Collegiate puts on a performance that is family-friendly and always a pleasure to watch. This year, the 8th Graders performed the musical The Aristocats on Feb. 14-15.

Each year, every 8th Grader has an opportunity to participate. The kids who enjoy the spotlight have the chance to be a main character, while others who might like dancing have the opportunity to be in the ensemble. Students who do not want to memorize lines or be on stage can work backstage as a stage manager or in the crew, helping with lights and the set. Some students also work as designers, helping with costumes, posters, and programs. 

I had the pleasure of visiting a few rehearsals the week before the show to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to rehearse for the 8th Grade play. The Middle School theater room was crammed with kids having to share seats and sit on the floor, making it hard to hear and see what was going on at the front of the room. It might seem inconvenient to have a full cast rehearsal in such a small room, but since Oates Theater was in use that day for the 2nd Grade States Fair and the Chinese New Year’s performance, rehearsals took place in HCA 113. Middle School theater teacher Jenny Hundley began the rehearsal by talking to the cast about her expectations. Then, Middle and Upper School Choral Director Ryan Blevins went straight into the first song, “The Prologue.” 

This song is about five minutes, and according to Hundley, “The whole story is pretty much told in the prologue.” The song consists of every character in the cast on stage and sets the tone for the rest of the play. Some of the girls in the back of the room seemed to really be enjoying themselves as they made arm motions from the dances as the songs were being sung. As I was observing from the back of the room, I noticed some songs sounded more ready than others, such as, “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat” and “The Prologue,” whereas other songs, such as, “Scales and Arpeggios” and “Use Your Nose,” required more than one run through to get a stronger sound from the singers.

The second rehearsal I observed was with a smaller group of 8th Graders in the theater, where they mostly worked on blocking for the song “Thomas O’Malley.” At the beginning of the rehearsal, Hundley explained to the cast the things she wanted each individual character to do in that scene. After a long but crucial explanation, the 8th Graders got up on their feet and started running through the scene. It was an exciting experience to see the song in action with the dances and dialogue, putting together what I had seen during the singing rehearsal just the day prior. 

The process of putting together the 8th Grade play requires much time and work, and after sitting down with Hundley, I was able to fully understand all the steps it takes to put on this performance. Choosing the play is the most crucial part of the process, and there are many things to consider when deciding. Something Hundley always asks her students to think about is, “Who are we doing theater for and why?” The audience is primarily students and families younger than the 8th Grade, so when choosing the play, it is important to choose something family friendly. When asked why she chose The Aristocats, Hundley said, “I was looking for a shorter version that really told a story, and a lot of the kids’ versions just cut out a lot of the exposition of the script.” According to Hundley, the play has a message: “Just because you’re not like someone doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate them or rely on them.”  

I also had the opportunity to talk to some 8th Graders about what the process has been like for them, and they provided a variety of responses.

What was the easiest part of the process?

“Getting along with the other members of the crew.” – Cabell C. (’24)

“Knowing my lines. We go over them so much that I memorize them.” – Kimber R. (’24)

“The songs. We practice them a lot, so it is easy to know what to sing and when to sing them.” – Andrew A. (’24)

“Learning my lines, because I only have six, and four of them consist of the iconic line, ‘Crazy, man, crazy’.” – Olivia D. (’24)

“Communicating with my classmates and peers. Being one of the choreographers for the play, it has been easy to work with others because of the connection I have had with them for most of my life.” – Vivian B. (‘24)

What was the hardest part of the process? 

“Knowing when to say my lines, and sometimes I even say them a little too early.” – Kimber 

“The time frame, because the crew only meets every Tuesday, and some of those days have been canceled as well.” – Cabell 

“Memorizing your lines and when you say them.” – Andrew

“Having to be quiet during the rehearsals .” – Olivia

“The short span of time that we have for rehearsals. Adding to that, most of the rehearsals are during study halls, activities, and collaboration periods, which means that most of our free time is taken away. While it is frustrating that we have less free time to do work and relax throughout the day, it is the only time that we have available for rehearsals, so I can understand why it is used up.” – Vivian

What was your favorite part of the process?

“My favorite song is ‘Thomas O’Malley,’ the Alley Cat because it introduces one of the biggest characters in the play, Thomas O’Malley.” – Andrew

“My favorite scene is ‘The Prologue.’ I like it because everyone is in it. It is really fun to have everyone together on stage.” – Kimber

“I like ‘The Prologue’ because a lot happens in it, and it is a fun song act out. I also like the song ‘Thomas O’Malley,’ because it is really catchy.” – Olivia

“My favorite is ‘Thomas O’Malley.’ I like this song because the dancers have a dance in it, and because it has a very smooth jazz background, which makes it fun to be a part of.” – Vivian

What are your expectations for the play? 

“I feel that if we had a few more practices, we could pull everything together, and the time frame would be difficult, but still manageable.” – Cabell 

“My expectations are pretty low because I think people are nervous to sing songs about cats and animals.” – Andrew

“I think that the play will be really fun and exciting for people to watch.” – Kimber

“I expect the play to be good, but at the stage we are at now, I am not sure it will come together. However, I think the play will be funny.” – Olivia  

“My only expectation for the play is that everyone will do their very best job and have a great time while doing it!” – Vivian

Kimber and Andrew were both main characters in the play, with Kimber playing Madame and Andrew playing Toulouse. Vivian was the lead Alley Cat dancer/choreographer, along with Slick Cat, for one of the nights. Olivia had a smaller role playing Hep Cat, and Cabel’s role in the play was working on sound crew.

Featured image: Aristocats poster by Alexis Covington.