The Lincoln Log

Sound check, scene set up, light check, prop check. Mandy Lee waits. In two hours, the air in the dressing rooms will be dense with hairspray, costumes will be thrown back and forth, and a frantic scurry will begin to change sets between each scene. All the while, she’ll be cuing people, searching for props, breaking up squabbles, and generally just keeping everything in an organized state of chaos. When the final curtain closes, she doesn’t get to go out on stage and hear the audience cheer her name. Instead, she must begin cleaning up all those props, sets, and miscellaneous items. Tired and a bit relieved, Mandy has survived another production. Thinking back on the whole experience, she says with a smile, “It has changed my whole life.”

Two years ago, in her sophomore year, Mandy was in a play for her English class and she did so well that her teacher, Shamira Gratch, recommended that she try out for drama. She did and the rest was history.

“I like both (acting and tech crew).” Mandy said. “They both have their good and bad points.”

Mandy works back and forth between acting and stage crew, getting the best of both worlds. She describes the two as “one big family.”

Backstage before Grease, drama veterans and seniors Gustavo Cerritos and Molly O’Grady prepared for their last musical at Lincoln. Sadness is a given while the students reminisce.

“It’s sad, I’m hella sad,” Gustavo said. “Right now I’m trying not to think about it.”

Gustavo is currently the only one in drama who has been in the program all four years of high school. After graduating, he plans to move to New York to be on Broadway, keeping acting a major part of his life.

“I don’t know what else I’d do,” he said.

The world of acting and tech collide backstage during productions, for good and bad.

“There’s a slight joke rivalry,” O’Grady said.

During the show, junior Kim Shagane went to eat pudding as part of the play. What she found was a trick from the tech crew.

“I looked over and everyone was laughing,” Shagane said.

Tech member Ben Church had put hot sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, and cranberry juice into her pudding. Shagane kept going as if nothing had happened.

“The whole tech crew was dying [laughing] after her,” said senior Steven Gallardo.

Aside from good-natured joking, authentic tension does sometimes flare up amongst cast and crew.

“People [will] tell me I’m not doing the right [thing] when I know what I’m doing,” Church said.

For Grease, a new reason for tension arose. Singers were needed, of course, and show choir members decided to step up to the plate. In fact, the two lead parts, Sandy and Danny were both played by show choir kids, new to drama.

“At first I didn’t really fit in,” senior Simon Truong said. “But then I started talking to a lot of people.”

Simon was first introduced to drama in his freshman year when he did the Talent Show. Despite Grease being his first drama production, he still managed to snag the lead role as Danny.

“At first I didn’t want [the part] and I just auditioned for it because it’s my last year,” Truong said. “When I got the part I was really happy and excited.”

Ysabella Malig, who played Sandy, is also a cheerleader at school and had to split between the squad and learning the ins and outs of a musical production.

“Sometimes I had to sacrifice games for drama rehearsals,” Malig said.

The merge of the two worlds went well overall, according to drama director Ms. Elaine Walenta who has been teaching drama at Lincoln for seven years.

“The kids respected the different strengths they all brought to the show,” Walenta said. “It was a lot of feeding off of each other, working together.”

Before she became drama teacher, Walenta said there was a much more distinct separation between show choir and drama. Now, she works hand in hand with Mr. Shawn Aluk, on musical productions.

“We work well together,” she said. “He’s very talented.”

For the spring play, another teacher was able to contribute to drama. Mr. Kenyatta Scott requested Walenta perform the chosen play. The play is about events that took place in the South and the racism surrounding those events.

“It does have a social commentary but with humor which tends to be more engaging,” Walenta said.

Now, with the curtaining closing on another year, those in drama look back on The Crucible and Grease production plays. Walenta jokes that they are lucky to not have “anyone run on stage naked.” In Walenta’s classroom, drama club headquarters, a group of drama kids all agree, “they’re all one big love affair.”