Thomas Jefferson High School PETE MURPHY , PRINCIPAL
Behind the Curtain of TJ ’ s “ Christmas With a Twist ”
By Camryn Dailey
“ Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory .” - Dr . Seuss . est Jefferson Hills
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS — THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL
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CITY OF MCKEESPORT NEWS
While it ’ s hard to forget the thrill of watching everything come together on opening night , when it comes to the Thomas Jefferson High School theater department , some of the best memories are made backstage , where multiple teams of students and staff spend weeks setting the stage for a show-stopping performance .
This fall , the high school ’ s theater department presented two oneact plays , collectively called “ Christmas With A Twist .” The first act , “ A Seussified Christmas Carol ,” was a twist on the Charles Dickens ’ Christmas classic , “ A Christmas Carol ,” narrated through rhyme schemes inspired by Dr . Seuss . The second , titled “ Santa-Napped ,” followed the struggle of Mrs . Claus and three of her elves to find a replacement for Santa while he spends time being questioned for absurd crimes revolving around his Christmas travels .
Crafted not just by those in the spotlight , but also those running the spotlights , it takes a Christmas village to bring the show to life . Madeline Westwood , a senior who has been involved in the theater program since eighth grade , comments , “ I think the tech crew honestly works the hardest . They have to wait for us to get started with most of their work and that ’ s got to be so stressful . They have to figure out light cues , they have to make sure all the mics are working ... if [ the actors ] need to share mics ... and then they also have to build the sets and everything .”
From lights and sound , to sets , props , and costumes , the extensive tech crew works closely alongside TJ English teacher and director Julie Tipton to bring her visions to life . Tipton says , “ I work much more closely [ with the crew ] now than I used to ... Mrs . ( Michele ) Stoicovy is a genius at what she does . If I tell her , ‘ I want [ the costumes ] to be Seuss-y but Victorian ,’ she already has an idea ... Mr . ( James ) Benedek and I worked really closely about the set .”
This year ’ s play featured unique set pieces that functioned as either interior or exterior sets based on their rotation . Created by Benedek and his Theater Construction Tech class , offered this year for the first time , the sets could appear as the home of Ebenezer Scrooge one moment , and as Santa ’ s Workshop the next , along with an array of other backdrops . As for the light displays and soundscapes , another section of the crew pieced together every detail of the sights and sounds the audience witnessed .
Technical director Garrett Lynch , a member of TJ Class of 2011 , adds , “ If you want to be super broad , there ’ s planning and there ’ s execution . In the middle of execution , there ’ s things you didn ’ t account for or changes that need to be made so you go back to planning and then you execute again .”
From a director ’ s perspective , preparation began about three months in advance , beginning with skimming possible shows over the summer . For Tipton , it ’ s a process of personal preference and consideration of how large the cast and crew will be . From there , she started the audition process , selected the cast , and began work to bring the show from script to stage , with blocking , rehearsals and much more along the way .
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For Westwood ( and the other actors ), it ’ s a process of self-care , hard work , and organization .
“ Usually I start by making sure I stay physically healthy ,” Westwood notes . “ I make sure to memorize my lines at least a week before we ’ re supposed to be off book , make sure I have my bag ready , I have my character shoes , foot wrap , my script and everything .”
Since moving into the new TJHS in 2019 , the process of bringing everything together for opening night has changed in every aspect . The department made the switch from a house seating approximately 600 to one that seats nearly 1,000 . From stage size to specific pieces of equipment , the theater department has had to rethink how they operate .
“ It ’ s changed almost completely ,” Tipton says of the backstage process . “ At the old ( high ) school , my room was attached to the theater . The new space is gorgeous . Being able to talk to everybody , everybody being able to see what ’ s going on onstage . There ’ s curtain call lights ... it ’ s incredible , so the things we had to get used to , like the placement of my room or the storage space , those were minor , and we ’ re figuring it out .”
One major behind-the-scenes change in the new TJHS is upgraded equipment for the tech department , and along with state-ofthe-art equipment comes great learning opportunities for the students involved . Students gain first-hand experience working with equipment they ’ re likely to encounter in the real world . There is also the possibility for these students to apply to become paid theater support staff during TJHS theater rentals .
“ The level of equipment available is drastically different . This is a very professional space in terms of equipment , and so from a technical side , I try to take advantage of that and to teach that when possible ,” says Lynch .
But it ’ s not just the technical aspect of bringing the show together , it ’ s also the memories created behind the scenes as the cast and crew spend countless hours in preparation that makes every show special . Each aspect intertwines to bring a show to life , and TJ Theater finds that it ’ s the chaos behind the curtain that makes opening night all the more special .
“ I always like making something out of nothing ,” Tipton says . “ My favorite shows have been the ones where I ’ ve thought , ‘ man is something actually going to happen ?’ And then the theater magic happens ... It ’ s just really cool to see it come together , and you see people start believing in themselves .”
Nearly 12 weeks of preparation led up to opening night on November 18 , followed by a Saturday performance and a matinee show on Sunday as the TJ Theater Department again pulled off another dazzling show .
Camryn Dailey is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School