Stepping back on stage (narrative)

By Justine Long

Last semester, the Stonehill Theatre Company produced “The Wolves” after two full years without in-person performances. This is a narrative writing piece written by Justine Long, who captured the excitement and jitters from the actors and actresses.

The doors of the theatre swung open, and the familiar scent of sawdust and hairspray filled the room. Nine girls put their backpacks down in the folding seats, waiting for instruction.

There was a buzz and excitement in the air as they waited for the director to come in and introduce herself. It was a huge day for them.

Hemingway Theatre was back open.

SEPTEMBER, 2 months until the show

Stonehill Theatre Company was forced to move mostly online due to the pandemic this past year-and-a-half.

The Coronavirus caused the group to meet, rehearse, and perform on the zoom screen. It was unnatural for them to leave the place they were most comfortable, the stage.

Now almost two years later, STC was having auditions for their first in-person show since they were sent home from Stonehill in 2019.

A few weeks prior, Sarah Barry woke up extra early on a September morning. The air was slowly turning into a crisp fall temperature, and the semester had just begun.

She was juggling a senior thesis class, a full schedule, and an audition for the first in-person show back.

This play was a new beast that STC had to conquer. The show picked was called The Wolves, a fast-paced comedy and drama about a high school girls soccer team.

Each character had no name, just a number, and a character trait. It was an all-female show, with quick lines and big personalities. This was also a straight play, with no music and no dancing.

The nerves were definitely high. Doing any audition over quarantine was a battle in itself. Screen tests, multiple takes, and submissions took weeks of preparation.

As Sarah walked from her dorm, she couldn’t decide how to feel. There was excitement, there was anxiousness, and there was hope.

“It was a combination of old and new,” Barry said. “Here I am about to sing with a mask on, but it felt so good to be in front of people at all.”

The audition required a memorized monologue, which Sarah felt okay with, but there were still nerves about the new challenge.

Abby Kramer, a seasoned performer of STC, also woke up nervous the day of her audition. She had a monologue prepared from class, but the jitters were still there.

She felt like she was in the right headspace. Performing was back, and she couldn’t wait to return. Auditions went well, and about a week later, a callback list was sent. This meant that out of everyone who auditioned, a select few would be asked to read more scenes.

With just nine roles to cast, this was a tough decision for director Ali Angelone. She needed a group that would embody a soccer team that grew up playing together.

Normally a choreographer and director at Dean College, this was Angelone’s first show at Stonehill. She was excited to see the talent and what people would bring to callbacks.

Right by her side was Assistant Director, Jason Dicenso, a senior, gaining experience off the stage rather than on.

The duo would look for chemistry and genuine energy between cast members in order to create a believable show.

Callbacks happened and different girls were chosen to read scenes each time. This funneled down the casting process as the “team” formed in Ali’s eyes.

The cast of nine girls was then handpicked and selected based on what part they would cover best. Sarah got the part of #8, the “dumb one” and Abby accepted the role of #25, “the captain.”

Both seniors soon met their seven “teammates” and began to prepare all semester for the performance.

The script was hard to work with. With it being dialogue-based, small conversations were hard to learn, and landing the fast lines was the biggest hill the girls had to climb.

Rehearsals were held four days a week for a couple of hours each night. During this time, the cast would lay out the scenes under the direction of Ali and Jason but also got to know each other on a more personal level.

The nine girls worked hard to understand their characters and how they interacted with one another on stage. They also learned the ins and outs of being on a soccer team.

How do you warm up? What are the correct techniques when handling a ball? These were details that Ali strived to hammer down.

It was a different theater experience for everyone involved. Wanting to make it authentic, the cast tried to forget they were in a show. They slowly got into the mindset of the team and what it meant to be bonded together through a sport.

“It’s been a really difficult but rewarding process,” Barry said. “I’m just so grateful to have gained eight new best friends through it.”

NOVEMBER, 2 weeks until the show

The theatre felt familiar again.

Sarah walked in, immediately taking out her highlighted script with scribbled writing of stage directions and acting notes. Abby greeted her with a smile and pushed over her backpack so she could sit.

The stage had been transformed into a soccer field, with fake turf, nets, and miscellaneous balls lying around. It was their set and was becoming more real every rehearsal.

The environment had a certain energy to it. The cast was chatting, catching up on their weekends, and cracking jokes. Ali walked in and found her usual seat in the back of the theatre, taking out her binder. Jason emerged from backstage with athletic jerseys and shoes: the costumes that the girls would be trying on later that night.

There was a routine now, one that worked and was ready to be shown to the world. With such little time left, there was so much to get done and prepare for, but they were ready.

The Wolves were now a well-oiled machine, with their lines memorized and dynamic set in place. “Guys, listen up” Ali yelled across the theatre. The girls quieted down and listened to their fearless leader. She began another rehearsal, this time blocking the last scene.

The excitement in the air lingered as they finished putting together the show that had taken up their minds for the past two months.

The only thing left to do was to perform it. Back where they started and, in their home, again, the stage.

SHOWTIME, November 19, 2021

The curtain opened and the lights went up, revealing the finished product to the audience. Murmurs could be heard in the crowd, in awe of the set and costume work.

For the next hour, the cast put everything into their characters, feeding off the energy from the audience and each other.

It was powerful, hilarious, and emotional all in one, just as they hoped for.

Afterward, Sarah, Abby, and the rest of the girls changed and ran out to see their friends and family. Flowers were given out along with compliments and high praise. It was hard to believe it was over, the whole show and the process.

Although the "team" was parting ways, a new opportunity was ahead.

Stonehill Theatre Company just announced the musical in the spring, Chicago, and just like that, the cycle began again.