Even in the early days of our 2023-2024 school year, many organizations and clubs have already started work on projects and programs, including our very own Wylie High School Theatre Department. These thespians have been working since the beginning of our year to put an amazing show, Anatomy of Gray, together before their opening in October. But do you know what goes on behind the curtain, even months before the lights come up?

On the stage, the young actors and actresses have begun working with full force on their lines, memorization, and blocking, but they have many difficulties to face. 

“[One of] the most demanding aspects of participating in Anatomy of Gray is the time commitment,” says fellow cast member Hudson Donnell. 

“Memorizing lines is just as difficult too,” Bethany Moses states. 

 As the cast move forward working on their dramatic-comedy production, the members behind the stage start their incredible duties. Wylie Theatre’s extraordinary crew have begun building their set, making props and costumes, and working on beautiful lights and sounds to make a great show. 

Assistant Director Carley King says, “The most important part of making this a great show is working together to tell this story in the best way possible. We want the audience to connect with the characters on stage. As the tech crew, we want to make the audience feel as if they are in the world of the play.” 

Along with the technical light and sound qualities, building the set and making the show come alive is very important.

 “We try to find a way to represent all of the locations of Grey, Indiana in a limited space on stage,” Technical Director Matt Smith said. “We have to come up with a design that can embody multiple locations while having minimal physical changes… One scene we can be in the town diner and a few scenes later though staging, lights, projections, and sound the same place on stage is now a graveyard.”

As these talented students set off on their cast and crew duties, there’s only one set of people that help make the show become an amazing Wylie Theatre production, and that is the directors. Director Mrs Polly Harrison, Assistant Director Carley King, and Technical Director Matt Smith have been working incredibly hard and these remarkable teachers have been tackling many challenges seamlessly. 

 “Directing the first show of the year is tough because you have brand new students who need to be educated on what it means to commit to a show and how to develop characters in a short amount of time,”  Harrison says. “The positive aspects are that it’s great to get to know the new students and to get a glimpse of what the future of Wylie Theatre might look like.” 

And as Harrison goes along directing the show, one of the things that she particularly focuses on is the show’s uniqueness. 

“Making a show uniquely your own is hard to do. One way that I try to make sure that our version isn’t a copy is that I limit my exposure to previous productions. Some directors use previously produced shows as a launching point for their own show but I find that if I don’t seek out those shows, my take on things will be fresher and more unique,” Harrison said.

As our Wylie High School Theatre Department goes through their tricky stage of rehearsals, their show dates are coming soon! But why should we attend their production and what does this tale tell? 

“Anatomy of Gray is a story of acceptance, love, forgiveness, and not judging a book by its cover. This is a story filled with many life lessons,” King said.

“[It] is a great combination of comedic elements and meaningful reflections that create an experience that hits home to most people that join us for the experience,” Harrison said.

 Plan on attending Anatomy of Gray October 6-7 and be ready to watch many talented kids put on an amazing show!