playbill vip

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is NOT a traditional high school show with a difficulty level that equals Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and Les Miserable.  It is a dark story with powerfully poignant themes including sacrificial love, which defies social and cultural expectations, the contrast between appearances and true goodness and importance of finding your sanctuary.  The show opens and ends with the same question. “What makes a monster and what makes a man?”  This is a question we all must consider.  Here are some interesting “factoids” about the show you will be seeing:

• There are thirty students in our acting ensemble.  13 upperclassmen and 17 underclassmen.  For 18 of these students it is their first musical at BHS.

• Eight seniors (four for whom this is their first BHS musical)

• Six Juniors

• Ten Sophomores

• Seven freshman

• Our tech crew includes 33 students.  They are a diverse group of students who receive safety training BEFORE they can participate in the build.  We LOVE adding small details to the set.  We are blessed to have two volunteer dads who have assisted us which is a gift when supervising 33 kids with power tools!  

• When compared to the other schools in the Lakes Conference, we are a very low budget program.  We call our set designs, “Design by Find.”  I tell them what I wish we could have…what I would love the set to look like and how it needs to function.  Then we look at what materials we have and what we can borrow.  The end result is on the stage tonight and I LOVE IT!

• We are blessed with so many kind volunteers and businesses who step forward to assist us with generous donations of time, money and various products/materials. For example, microphones are borrowed from BCT and Tracy Paulson (Fourth Man Productions).  BHS currently has four cordless microphones.  

• We are using 32 cordless mics.  Students are running two sound boards and all sound cues.

• This musical calls for explosives and smoke to appear, distracting the escape of central characters.  Since pyrotechnics require a federal license, and safely it is always our primary concern, we are using a fogger/hazer.  Not quite the explosion we would want, but suspend your disbelief and all will be well.

• The weapons used on stage are dull and the students have been trained and well rehearsed.  The knives were made by Drew Elo (BHS grad), Prop Master.  

• The orchestra is made up entirely of students and they are playing some very difficult music.  

• When the curtain opens for our performance, this musical is being run totally by students.  The adult Creative Team is here for support.] but are in charge.    

• No humans were harmed in the creation of this production. 

Be proud of our kids; this show is a HUGE LIFT for them.  They have grown exponentially and I believe The Hunchback of Notre Dame will continue to impact their lives and mine for years to come; that is a blessing!

Tracy Hagstrom Durant