NOCTILUCA Spring 2016 Vol.XXI Issue 11

CULTURE Appleton, Wisconsin Spring 2016 Vol. XXI Issue II Page 10

H umans of n ortH

By Caroline Holmes Behind the stage with KamyVeith andMaddy Cuff

biggest [skill needed] be- cause a lot of people will ask you questions that you don’t have the answers to, but they kind of expect you to, so you just kinda gotta roll with the punches! Maddy: It’s also really helpful to be organized... Kamy: Yes... Maddy: We are also full time students, so you need to organize theatre as well as organize yourself, and it’s always good to know what’s going on, so you need to understand what you need to know. Every- day for rehearsal we get it set up by taking attendance of people who are sup- posed to be there, and mak- ing sure all of the props are ready...and, if we have the set pieces, we make sure that they’re ready to re- hearse with. Kamy: And if people aren’t there who are sup- posed to be there, we have to call them and find out why they aren’t there and if they’re coming. I enjoy it, usually. I think it’s fun to be in kind of a role...in an “in-charge” role. It’s kind of funny to watch everyone scurry around, and you ac- tually know what’s going on, it’s good! I like control, so I like to kind of be in control, so I can make ev- erything else kind of flow nicely. Maddy : It’s good work

Jack Russell, a senior at Appleton North, possesses the rare talent of perfect pitch. “You can name any key in music theory, know ev- ery note in the universe, and be able to recognize “I can’t view most live shows without being bombarded with audio-sensory mayhem.” The Appleton North High School theatre program harbors quite the reputation not only within the com- munity of Appleton, but throughout all of Wiscon- sin. Having won seventeen consecutive Critics Choice Awards for their one act plays at the annual Wiscon- sin State High School The- atre Festival, maintaining such a standing seems dif- ficult to maintain. Maddy Cuff and Kamy Veith are up to the task as the two current stage man- agers for Appleton North theatre. So far, they have taken lead on the “ Alice and Wonderland” one act and straight shows and have assistant stage man- aged “ Mary Poppins ,” last year’s springmusical, while Maddy has assistant stage managed for the “ Journey to the West” showcase and one acts and the “ Romeo and Juliet” one act play. Both Cuff and Veith were also stage managers for this year’s spring musical, “ The Little Mermaid ,” and were able to give the Noctiluca a little insight on not only their past years’ experience with stage managing, but on the job as a whole. Kamy : Patience! Maddy: Patience is good! (laughs) Kamy: It’s probably the By Nora Ptacek

ANHS juniors and Lightning theatre stage managers Kamy Veith, pictured left, and Maddy Cuff, pictured right, show a small glimpse of The Little Mermaid’s set. Photo by Caroline Holmes

analyzing musical perfor- mances because of his keen ear. “If a vocalist sings a song in a different key than it was written, or if a single string is perhaps two cents sharp, it may not seem like such a big deal to the aver- age person. My brain says otherwise—sometimes it is difficult to act or speak when such occurrences happen,” said Russell. “I can’t view most live shows or productions with- out constantly being bom- barded with audio-sensory mayhem. The performance may be absolutely fantas- tic regardless. Perhaps the biggest drawback is large crowds. To me, every hu- Yasmeen: Not only do they keep everyone from panicking in times of high stress, they work unbeliev- able hours to keep high stress situations under control and to make every- thing work evenly without putting extra stress on in- dividual people. They’re meen Ashour is the student costumer for the Apple- ton North theatre depart- ment. She [has worked] on “The Little Mermaid , ” and has done costuming for the “Journey to the West” showcase, “Mary Poppins , ” “The Tempest , ” the “Alice in Wonderland” straight show, and the “Al- ice in Wonderland” one act.

man voice has a distinct timbre and pitch. Ever heard an orchestra, in ca- cophony, warming up? Anytime I’m at a pep rally, that’s what I hear—and I want to run, hide, or curl up into a ball.” “My performance kids, both solo and groups, are aided greatly by this skill,” Russell said. “I can tune an ensemble, provide starting pitches, and instantly rec- ognize when a key change is imminent. Perfect pitch is a remarkable blessing, but also a mind-numbing curse. It allows me to be the gifted musician I am to- day as well as on the edge of being absolutely nuts.” the ones who take it on in order to ensure the suc- cess of the show. Without the stage managers’ ex- pertise, and willingness to take on this responsibility, our show would fall apart. Without Kamy and Maddy, there would be a lack of moral support, a lack of ethics and a lack of judge- ment and control. A lot of people would rather look at [the show] and not want to be as dedicated, but seeing them [Maddy and Kamy] and how dedicated they are, no one wouldn’t want to please everyone the way that they do. They lead by example, and they contrib- ute more than they even un- derstand.

experience because it’s lots of fun, but it’s also a really good learning experience for how to communicate professionally, because we need to, as well as organiz- ing the kids, correspond with the adults. There’s a lot of adults who volunteer with the program, and we need to make sure that they are all in the loop as well. Kamy: [On behalf of all stage managers,] if it’s not yours don’t touch it, just in general! Maddy: Headsets are a wonderful invention of mankind/womankind, and we love headsets a lot! Communication is key! Joining Kamy and Mad- dy behind the scenes, Yas-

Pitch perfect: A North senior and his musical superpower

Appleton North senior Jack Russell helps the Varsity Women’s Choir find their pitch during a pre-concert rehearsal. Photo by Maddy Schilling

“The Little Mermaid” as Prince Eric; his ability to sing every note with mi- raculous tune was an unde- niable asset to his perfor-

mance. His uncanny superpow- er-like ability is not always an asset, however. Russell often finds himself over

colors and hues that each pitch gives off,” said Rus- sell, who starred in North’s