Arrowhead Drama Raises Funds for Winter Musical, Les Mis

The Arrowhead Drama Department had its second meeting of the year on Tuesday, October 19th after school in the theatre at North Campus. Stage Crew students and drama students were required to be there. The meeting was approximately 45 minutes long with students asking questions. All students were welcome to attend the meeting and learn more about auditions and Arrowhead Drama.

Lily Stolp, a sophomore, said, “As someone who has never been in an Arrowhead play, the environment was so welcoming. Students who were coming back were treated like old friends even by the teachers, and new ones were given a warm welcome.”

Arrowhead Drama includes the actors in shows and the Stage Crew. Stage Crew helps with building sets and making sure the drama and Broadway Company shows run smoothly. Learn more about Arrowhead Drama using the link here.

In an email to Stage Crew, Maralynn Markano, an English teacher, Drama Director, and Stage Crew advisor at Arrowhead, said, “This meeting has [two] purposes: To kick off the annual Cozzzy Comfy Sheet Sale (this fundraiser benefits all things Arrowhead Drama; for this year, proceeds will go to the production of Les Mis!) [and] to provide audition information regarding Les Mis.” 

Les Miserables is the winter show for this year and it is a historical show with it being one of the few musicals the Arrowhead Drama Department does. The last musical Arrowhead Drama did was Cinderella in 2015. 

Arrowhead Drama does two plays a year: one in the winter and one in the spring. Broadway Company does the musical at the beginning of the school year and Musical Theater Nights in March. 

Markano said, “Les Mis has been one of my favorite shows for a really long time. It was the first show I saw in New York on Broadway.” 

According to Markano, Les Mis is a sung-through musical that needs a creative ensemble that is able to bring life during the show.

The performances for Les Mis will be February 2nd through 6th, 2022. 

Arrowhead Drama has been doing fundraisers including grill sales at Sendiks and Culvers Night to help raise money for the musical over the summer and during the school year.

According to Markano, she has been saving money the department earned from the fundraisers over the years for Les Mis and is going to keep raising money to help produce the show.

The Cozzzy Comfy Sheets Fundraiser is currently going on and by going to the Cozzzy Comfy online store and purchasing sheets, you can help offset the production costs for Les Mis by using the code ArrowheadDrama1-2021 from the drop down box at checkout. You can even have sheets delivered straight to your door. Online ordering goes through November 11th. 

Students also have the option of going door to door selling the sheets.

More fundraisers will be going on throughout the school year and all of the proceeds will be going towards Les Mis. 

Stolp said, “I found the information provided at the meeting helpful, but not so dire that it gave me anxiety. Knowing the slideshow was on the drama club website was a great comfort.” 

The other topic discussed at the meeting was the audition information. The auditions will be November 9th and 10th, 2021, and all of the audition information will be under the Actors tab on the Arrowhead Drama website at the end of October. Students who plan to audition should not go to both days, they can sign up for a 75 minute slot on one of the days for their audition.

Markano said, “There are parts for everyone at every level of singing, acting, and dancing with the dancing being more of movement on stage.”

If students aren’t sure about auditioning for a musical, Markano says they can get help with preparations at the audition workshops that will take place on Tuesday, October 26th and Wednesday, November 3rd for the female leads and ensemble parts with the male leads and ensemble parts workshops on Wednesday October 27th and Tuesday November 2nd. The workshops will take place in the North Campus choir room from 3:15 to 4:30pm.

Markano said, “Be open, trust me, trust us that we know what we are doing.”

Students that plan to audition need to audition with a sense of commitment to the show and need to be able to act during their song at the audition.

Stolp said, “I’m looking forward to seeing people show off their talent. I’d love to work among talented people in the school body.”