As midterms, holiday break, winter sports, and Symposium week have taken the KO calendar by storm, many students have been diligently preparing behind the scenes for KO’s upcoming winter musical, “Sweet Charity.” Whether it be leading the stage crew, running lines, learning choreography, or rehearsing musical numbers, each student that is a part of “Sweet Charity” has poured their time, creativity, energy, and love for theater into the production — day in and day out.
I sat down with three members of the KO theater program to hear more about their perspectives on “Sweet Charity,” life during rehearsals, and the power of KO theater.
Senior Mckenzie Campbell, a KO theater veteran, will be playing the lead role of Charity Hope Valentine in KO’s winter musical. From the start of the rehearsal process, Mckenzie put an emphasis on preparation, creating spreadsheets and Quizlets to memorize her lines, perfecting her songs over break, and drilling her complex dance numbers. However, delving emotionally into Charity’s character has been the most challenging and rewarding process for her. “I have to kind of tap into that less harsh side, since playing Violet last year was very different,” she said. “It’s going to be more of a challenge this year, but I’m excited.”
Sophomore Lily Temkin is portraying the role of Betsy in “Sweet Charity” and is also a featured Taxi Cab dancer. When the winter musical was announced, Lily immediately immersed herself in all things related to the musical, whether it was watching the movie, listening to the soundtrack, or viewing scenes from the musical online.
Lily reflected fondly on the cast’s recent experience with Broadway veteran and Bob Fosse expert Stephanie Pope. Ms. Pope came to KO to teach the cast the original choreography to the iconic number, “Big Spender.” “In that number, we’re at a dance club where we work,” Lily explained, “and how [Stephanie] described it is that ‘we’re not supposed to want to be there, but we have to because that’s the only way we can make money.’ It was really interesting to get her perspective on that, and it was really cool to learn more about Bob Fosse through her.”
Mckenzie also shared her love for the Fosse choreography. “It’s so distinct,” Mckenzie said. “Our dancers do so well with it, and I love to watch it.”
While KO performers bring “Sweet Charity” to life on stage, the tech crew is the show’s unsung heroes, making sure that the production’s sound, lighting, and set design are executed flawlessly. Senior Chayse Shamleffer is a key crew member, working mainly on soundboards. To immerse the audience in 1960s New York City, the tech crew has focused heavily on set design, working on projects that are of a larger scale than those of last year’s musical, “9 to 5.”
For Chayse, the most fulfilling aspect of being a part of the tech crew is seeing the group’s hard work come to fruition. “The most rewarding part is knowing that everything that you’re spending so much time working on is going to be seen by the KO community,” she said. “Seeing all of your hard work pay off in the show definitely makes everything worth it.”
Time management is paramount while balancing rehearsals with exams and other commitments. Mckenzie emphasized the importance of having open communication during stressful times. “Communicating with the people around you about what your expectations are of yourself will help,” she said, “because you’re taking accountability and you’re taking care of yourself first, which is the most important part.” Chayse echoed these sentiments. “Finding time during those long rehearsals to get all of your work done is very important,” she said.
In addition to keeping up with assignments and commitments, Lily emphasized the value of prioritizing self-care and social time to balance preparation for the musical. “We have a lot of busy hours, and it takes up a lot of our time,” she said, “so I try to maintain my social life and my musical life so it never becomes too overwhelming.”
“Tech Week” is the next step on the road to opening night – a week notorious for long rehearsal schedules and intense fine-tuning of the show. Mckenzie, however, is eagerly looking forward to the week for its community-building nature. “When you’re with people from 3:00-9:00 every night, it builds such great relationships, and there’s such a camaraderie between all the cast members,” she said. “That sense of family is really prevalent in the musical, and that’s what I’m the most excited for.”
Lily shared similar feelings about the cast’s connection. “Musical season definitely gets pretty hectic,” she said. “What makes it go a little bit smoother is that we’re all in the same boat… so it’s good to know that we have that support from each other along with Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Reynolds.”
Looking ahead, Mckenzie, Chayse, and Lily are all looking forward to bringing “Sweet Charity” to life on stage. KO’s production of “Sweet Charity” is set to make its debut in the Roberts Theater on Friday, Feb. 24, and it is bound to be an exciting culmination of all of the dedication and passion that students in the KO theater program have brought to the production.
