Chicago The Musical : Interviews

Sydney Cook (Roxie)

Question: What was it like to be a main role and how has the school musical enhanced your experience here at Central?

Being the lead was an absolutely incredible experience. It definitely came with a lot of responsibility; however, knowing that all the extra work was going to mean a great show in the end made it worth it. I’ve been in the musical since my freshman year so this was the perfect way to wrap up my experience with Central Theater, and my time in high school certainly would not be the same without it. I’ve met some of my best friends through the program, worked with amazingly talented people, and overall loved every minute of it. I cannot thank the cast and crew of Chicago enough for making this the best part of my high school experience.

Emily Lynott

Question: What is it like to work the box office?

In my opinion, it was super fun working the box office. Everyone who came to watch was so excited to see the musical–which made it difficult to tell them that the show had sold out. We sold out very quickly on Saturday, with only a few random seats left in the back around an hour before the show started. It got the most chaotic in the box office when we began selling reserved tickets that were not claimed. The lobby was packed with people that were waiting for up to half an hour to see if they could get the unclaimed tickets! Still, everything was worth it to see a full house Friday and Saturday night–the cast and crew of Chicago totally deserved it!

Emily Schneider

Question: What was the easiest and most difficult part of being in the show?

I absolutely loved being a part of the Chicago cast. One of the easiest things for me was learning all the music and lyrics. One of the most difficult things was all the costume changes and putting each individual scene together to make one cohesive show. It is one of the most rewarding feelings when the whole show is put together with costumes, props, the band, lights, and all tech. It was an absolute honor to be in Chicago!

Joey Farrell

Question: What is it like performing in the pit during the show?

I can certainly say that pit orchestra this year has been a lot of fun. A pit orchestra is a lot like a regular orchestra. You have the same instruments, including trumpets, violins, and the rhythm section. However, the key difference is that pit orchestra is a lot like live TV. If something bad happens, you have to adapt really quickly. For example, one time the singer’s mic went out and everyone had to play quieter. I can certainly say being in pit this year was one of the highlights of my high school career.

Zach Dacierno

Question: Was it difficult for you to juggle the musical, homework, and other extracurriculars at the same time?

Even though Chicago was a bit time consuming, I had a great time at rehearsal. In the early stages of the show, I actually attended Noises Off! rehearsals for a while instead of the musical, since I worked on props for that show. Once I started committing 100% of my time to Chicago, it was a bit tricky trying to balance everything on my schedule. However, I was willing to set other things aside in order to help make Chicago a great show. For the most part, I was able to get all of my homework done while still devoting free time to other activities up until tech week, when rehearsals were much longer and serious.

Matt Woodward

Question: What did you contribute to Chicago?

As a theater performer, there are many things that contribute to making it the craft that it is. It’s the one thing that is so different from anything else in the fine arts. In Chicago, I was really able to understand myself as an actor and prove that even though I was a freshman, I could still be up there as a lead with the juniors and seniors. But performing live is difficult. One of the hardest parts of doing it is that you have one chance to get it right. If you mess up, then you’re going to have to mess up with passion because there’s nothing else that you can do. But with all of the scary parts of the

theater, that last bow at the end of the show and getting a standing ovation is the best reward you could ever get.

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