Through the collaboration and strong friendships in musical theater, students from Sierra Pacific came together to put on the its production of “The Prince of Egypt.”
The show, which ran from Jan. 29-Feb. 1, had students perform six shows with more than 1,500 people paying $5-10 each.
The play followed the story of Moses (played by Sierra Pacific senior Jacob Kane) and how he discovered his Hebrew lineage, changing from a selfish man to one who could sympathize with his people and even worked to free them from the enslavement that they had to endure. It shows the harsh realities of slavery and racism, something that most schools don’t end up addressing.
Other key roles in the play included Ramses (played by Hunter Reaves), Tzipporah (Lily Gamble), Miriam (Karly Wise), Pharoah Seti (Gabriel Williams), Queen Tuya (Emma Moon), Hotep (Carson Smith), Nefertari (Caitlin Ray) and Aaron (Luke Woods).
The students participating in the musical had spent the fall semester of the year coming together each night to rehearse and prepare. Students would not only have to remember their lines but also practice singing and dancing. All the props used in the performance were also handmade by the students themselves.
Ava McCutcheon, a junior who played Hebrew woman No. 1, said it was a pleasure to be in the play.
“I enjoyed acting with my friends and performing the music,” she said. “It is some of the best music I’ve ever heard.”
The work done on the props and the costumes was all thanks to the students in the play and the adults who helped make the musical possible. They also had to balance out and make sure everything technical worked out properly on top of everything else.
Mollie Schuller, a junior, said it was a lot of work behind the scenes.
“To prepare for the play, we’ve had to put in so many hours of work on the music alone before even moving to the theater,” Schuller said. “We have to work out a lot of technical details like lights, microphones and projections, all while figuring out our blocking and what to do on stage during tech week.”
Over the course of preparing for the show during rehearsals, students were able to socialize and enjoy getting through this difficult task together.
But it was worth it, McCutcheon said.
“Everyone is super talented, supportive, and overall amazing people,” McCutcheon said. “I hope to see them again next year and I am so glad to share this experience with the seniors leaving one last time.”
The trust and bonds built between the participants are what allowed the musical to go so smoothly every time.
