The Eighth Grade Show

Each year, the eighth graders at St. Rose put on a theatrical production, and for the class of 2008, this was going to be no different. The class of 2007 had put on a performance of Peter Pan, and two of the people responsible for that (Renae Mottaz and John Barrett) were asked to help this year's director, Susan Valois. Before anything else, the cast had to decide what play to do. They hit upon the idea of an original play, combining humor and mystery, similar to Pink Panther or Get Smart. The plot was simple: save the world from destruction. The underlying theme for the class: Always do the best you can! The play, Operation Moon Drop, was written as an original play for the Class of 2008. Renae Mottaz then had the daunting task of gathering volunteers and figuring out how to get the entire 8th grade class together on 25 occassions for two to three hours at a time. "It's like herding cats!"

Auditions and Roles

The cast had several characters that would be required to say quite a few lines...these roles could not be given out lightly, and auditions were held for these key parts. The audition was a great chance for the director to see the range of emotion and volume offered by the student, as well as a chance to see how well they moved and responded to direction. After the auditions, Sue Valois (shown above) and her team made some tough decisions, and assigned the roles:

Darren Deeds.......................................................... Alex Wald

Darryl B. Moreticome.................................... Adam O’Rourke

Easton West...................................................... Matt Eichinger

Heidi Clare...................................................... Maddie Mottaz

Willie Everlearn............................................... Richie Donovan

Hayden Seek.................................................. Michael Hughes

Kerry Oaky........................................................ Kirsten Sarro

Noah Little................................................................. Crive Jo

Dr. Watt............................................................ Gino Rancone

Professor Kahan Do............................................. Peter Valois

Major Snaphew.................................................. Ally McElroy

Ben Thair................................................... Michael Greenstein

Dawn Thatt............................................................. Elle Larsen

General Mayhem................................................... Tom Bakko

Holly Dangerous.................................................... Julia Odima

Gene Poohle............................................................. Josh Frey

Allen Wrench..................................... Fru Ndemeno-Tegomoh

Ike Whitt..................................................... William Blackmon

Mollie Kuehl..................................................... Monica Olivier

Harly Werkun......................................................... Neil Olson

Lew Scannon........................................................... Joe Cullen

Buster Bloodvessel................................................ Zach Hayes

Duke Uffurhl......................................................... Peter Hamel

Liv Goode......................................................... Jenna Johnson

Eaton Wright.................................................... Paul Wageman

Reid Enright..................................................... Richie Donovan

Barry Cade.................................................... Adam O’Rourke

Sasha Deal....................................................... Kaitlin Tureson

Justin Case................................................. Spencer Jorgenson

Mike Raffone .................................................. Michael Wrede

Cameron Trypod............................................. Michael Hughes

Iona Stonehouse.............................................. Maddie Mottaz

Ella Mentry........................................................... Kelly Norris

Maura Plause........................................................ Annie Fuller

Ewan Whatarmi................................................ Jeff Richardson

Alex Blaine Layder................................................. Sam Urban

Rufus Leakin.................................................. Patrick Finnegan

Casey Deeya...................................... Keegan McGough-Pose

Rehearsals

With sports, school assignments, band, scouting, family events and other activities, it was not easy getting all of the kids together for rehearsals. The very first rehearsal was just the kids sitting in a large circle, reading the play aloud from the 40-page script. Many of the jokes would not become clear until after several read-throughs. But the students really seemed to enjoy their time together and the progress they were making on the play. Several students commented that the rehearsal times really brought the class closer together, and wished they had done the play a year or two earlier!

Sets and Costumes

As the play progressed, the sets and costumes came to life -- literally! The central element in the plot is the Yenoram Crystal (Yenoram is in honor of one of the students' teachers, Mr. Maroney). The construction of the blue crystal began with an opaque blue bowl from Good Will. The bowl was sliced into wedges and placed in a coffee can. A paint peeling gun melted the plastic together in somewhat of a solid lump with a hollow interior. Then aluminum foil was balled up inside of the crystal (to fill space prior to pouring in a fiberglass resin). Masking tape was applied around the outside to keep the resin from dripping out the cracks between the slices of the bowl. The crystal was inverted, and quick-setting resin was poured into it. Upon returning from lunch, the stage crew noticed an odd sight -- resin dripping from the ceiling. Evidently, the resin reacts with the aluminum foil (science experiment #492, gone awry). The bubbling mess had gotten to the large-bubble-with-no-where-to-go stage and erupted up to the ceiling. The crystal eventually cured, and was very durable (see: The Show Must Go On). The sets had a life of their own, too, taking over the entire living room and dining room at the Valois house. Hours of painting fun for the entire family! The Valois household even lost their television (not in use) for a prop, becoming the NASA television that Doctor Watt appears on (in) to issue his demands to the world! Other volunteers worked for hours, taking measurements and putting the needle to the thread, constructing several original pieces and modifying a few others. It would all be completed just in time for the run-through for the school kids.

Show Time!

The cast and crew worked long hours to be ready for the opener. The crew knew the first audiences would be the toughest. The play was to be performed twice in one day for the students and teachers at St. Rose. The play would then be performed on Friday and Saturday evening, as well as Sunday afternoon, with the local cable station documenting the Sunday performance.

The teachers and students lined the theater in expectation. The awesome sound system (special thanks to Dave Mottaz) played some spy music to get the crowd in the mood. The lights came up and the show began...

The students were not too nervous, and the entire show went without a hitch! This cast was perfect.

The audience roared their approval, and the second performance followed suit. Just like they rehearsed it. The "critics" gave it wonderful reviews, and the cast got two days to bask in the glory before the paying customers arrived.

General Mayhem! Packed houses!

The top story from the St. Rose news room: Operation Moon Drop plays to packed houses! Always do the best you can! That line, from the play, was the motto for the production, and the crew lived up to it! The shows played to a standing-room-only house. The Friday and Saturday shows were flawless, and the cast earned a short little cast party on Saturday evening. In past years, there was no Sunday performance, so the Saturday evening cast party tradition carried on even though there was a show the next day.

When one door closes, another door opens...

People sometimes say that,"...another door opens." But those are the same people who say, "this is for your own good" and "this won't hurt a bit!" The cast decided to add a third show this year, and some of the family members took it upon themselves to get the local cable station involved, documenting the event for the community. Parents even got training to become camera operators for the event. The people would be coming straight to the theater after attending Mass, and the cable was there, and the kids had been flawless up this point....what could possibly go wrong?!? It was at about that time that we received a phone call that Gino Rancone, who plays Dr. Watt, had been violently ill all evening, and didn't look like he would make it to the performance!

Houston, we have a problem!

Losing one of the lead actors just hours before a live perfomance (which would be forever documented by the local cable company) seemed like a slight set-back in the morning preparations, but the students handled it very professionally. A slightly older actor was called upon to become the understudy, and he began practicing with the cast. There were some problems, however, as the understudy was too big to fit into the television that Dr. Watt used for his ultimatum speech. And the huge volume of lines made it unlikely the understudy would ever pull it off. A slight amount of panic was beginning to creep over all of the cast and crew. Who would save the day?

The Show Must Go On!

We sat there, doubting the understudy's ability to function in the role, and dreading the fact that this spectacular production could end on such a sour note. As the crowd settled in their seats, the stage door burst open and in strode Gino Rancone, normally our evil villian, but for just this one moment, our hero! Against "doctor's orders," Gino had pulled himself together and made his way to the theater -- just in time for the production. It was to be his finest hour (well, that's our opinion). His performance was inspired...and closely watched by all, since he was not entirely healthy. The highlight of the performance was the launching of the Yenoram crystal! This 5-lb blue object (shown above, in the hands of Julia Odima) is supposed to be tossed from Julia to Gino, causing Gino to drop his weapon. However, when the time came, and with the cable cameras recording, Julia tossed the crystal with a little more force than Gino expected. Gino watched as the crystal sailed past his fingertips and headed into the far corner of the room (where there was no one seated, thankfully). This set everything off, as a timer had just been set to blow up the laboratory in 20 seconds. But the crystal had to be in the hands of Special Agent, Holly Dangerous, played by Julia Odima. Brain cells quickly fired, and Dr. Watt dove off stage after the crystal before it had bounced a second time. Julia, analyzing what had happened and what needed to happen for the show to go on, followed Dr. Watt into the corner of the room. A brief struggle for the crystal ensued, and the cast got the show back onto the stage and in order before the explosion went off. Quick thinking saved the day! The show was a success.

The students had lived up to their motto of always doing the best they can!