Back in 900 B.C.E Greece, the answers to even the most complex questions were hidden deep within Greek myths and tales. 

The ancient Greeks crafted some of the most iconic stories in history. But nowadays, nobody has time to sit through endless lectures, or to read all the epic works. 

Luckily, the Theater Department summarized everything people need to know about Greek mythology with their own comedic twists.

The department performed the fall production “The Iliad, The Odyssey, and all of Greek Mythology in 99 minutes or Less” on Oct. 26, 27 and 28 in the Donna Hubbard Auditorium. 

Set on a simple stage with a large hourglass timer ticking down in front of the audience’s eyes, the cast sped through all of Greek mythology in under 99 minutes. Presented at a lightning-fast pace, the silly decisions, absurd destinies and goofy characters yielded hysterical results as the timer stopped each night with only seconds to spare.

Theater teacher and production director Mr. Justin Baldridge is no stranger to this show, having directed it twice before at previous high schools he worked at. Mr. Baldridge had a lot of options when deciding on what show to put on this fall, but ultimately went with this show knowing the students could do it justice. 

“I wanted a show that would highlight the strength of the students,” he said “This show fits their personalities extremely well.”

Back in August, the first rehearsals for the production began. But before that could happen, casting decisions had to be made. After three days of auditions, potential cast members were called back, given scenes from the show and provided with the opportunity to show off their comedic and artistic talents.

Junior Alexis Martinez has had plenty of experience performing, but never at this school. 

“I was very nervous about auditioning because I haven’t done a show at this school before,” she said. “It was very nerve racking because it was my first show with other people my age and there was a big expectation that I needed to live up to others’ levels of talent.

But after taking a breath and letting herself relax and do what she does best, Martinez completed a successful audition that allowed her to be cast in the roles of Poseidon, Netemayer and the Narrator.

“Everybody was very welcoming and it wasn’t a scary environment because everyone had great energy in the audition room,” she said.

Casting for this show specifically was difficult because between the fifteen actors, well over 100 roles were performed in order to cover all the stories and history seen in Greek Mythology. This meant that Mr. Baldridge had to assign each actor to ten or more roles that best fit their character.

“When I auditioned I didn’t know anything about what I was going to be asked to do, so I was very nervous,” freshman Amelia Probst said. “I ended up learning a different monologue from another play and I did all this extra preparation before I found out it was going to be much easier than that. So after that I just learned the audition sides and cooled down.”

A lot of the auditioners prepared for several days beforehand. Junior Sophia Hillestad took time before the audition to research every character and think about how they could make each role their own. 

“I didn’t want to overcomplicate it,” they said. “I tried to find a defining characteristic to all the audition sides to try and make them mine.”

Many students, such as freshman Maddy Mills, were encouraged to audition because they had a past obsession with Greek mythology.

“So many people had a Greek mythology or Percy Jackson phase in middle school and I think people wanted to be in this show because it brings back so many memories and emotional experiences we all went through,” she said.

The technical theater crew’s experience was just as intense. Students interested had to complete several forms and go through an interview process to be placed into a tech department, such as costumes, props or house crew. 

Not worried about the interview, junior Sebastian Spiridon was simply looking forward to gaining a new experience in whatever field he was picked for.

“Doing technical theater is something I’ve never done before,” he said. “I was originally going to be in the house crew, but an opportunity arose for me to be house manager. That’s the person who opens the doors to the auditorium, organizes ushers and makes sure things are running smoothly in the audience. I gladly took it.”

After casting was finalized, rehearsals were off and running.

While nervous about starting a new show with a new group of students, Mr. Baldridge was elated to be back in the rehearsal space.

“I was excited to start,” he said. “Especially because I know the show very well and it allows me to have a better understanding of it while directing.”

But the atmosphere for this show was slightly different from shows done in the past. Due to district-wide budget cuts, the total budget for the production was $5,000. 

While this might seem like a lot to a spectator, Mr. Baldridge had to make those $5,000 stretch as far as possible. That money had to cover all expenses, including costumes, sets and over 150 different props.

Serving as one of two leads for the prop crew, sophomore Ami Singer wasn’t sure how the production was going to survive off of such a small budget.

“My first thought when I heard the budget was, oh my god, how are we going to do this,” she said. “We have over 150 props and what feels like a million different characters who all have their own specific costume pieces.”

Last year’s spring musical “Urinetown” had a budget of $14,000. Therefore, this fall production needed to be very minimalist if the show was to go on.

Currently programming and running the light board for this production, junior Kayla Balikyan-Davis is now having to do the job of a professional that the Theater Department usually hires.  

“It’s been a learning curve,” she said. “All the students are having to do more to make up for the fact that our budget is so small. Our department is practically student run now. It has been more of a process to just break things down and figure things out with the limited resources and time we have.”

According to actors, the aspect most affected by the budget was the set. Typically, the school has elaborate sets that really help transport the audience into the world of the show. But this production’s set consists merely of eight boxes and a few flats made to look like Greek columns. 

While the set might be more minimal than the audience is used to seeing, sophomore Gwen Alexander thinks it’s perfect because it allows the audience to focus more on the actors.

“For a show like this, minimal is okay,” she said. “It just means that the acting and timing really need to be perfect in order to carry the show.”

The budget is not only affecting the show from an audience’s standpoint, but it’s also affecting how students feel backstage.

“The costume, hair and makeup crew, the amount they have to do by themselves and worry about is a thousand times worse than it has ever been,” Junior Emily Chavez said.

Junior Addison Cudd wishes that the budget was split more evenly between the fall play and spring musical. Typically, 30 percent of the budget is allocated towards the play while a whopping 70 percent is provided for the musical. 

“I feel like a lot of the budget goes to the musical,” she said. “Now don’t get me wrong, I know that production is a much bigger thing, but the plays kinda get pushed to the side which sucks for the people who don’t get into the musical or those who only do the plays.”

Despite the stress, the students in the drama department are committed to doing everything they can to make it work. They love what they do, and they love the community they get to be a part of. 

Being a part of the Theater Department is an experience like no other, according to sophomore Connor Ruckman. The cast and crew spend hours and hours together, sometimes seeing each other more than their own families. Over time, the

rehearsal space became a family of its own.

“I feel like I am supported the entire time,” Ruckman said “This show is a big chaotic mess that can be really stressful, but I have a great group of people surrounding me.” 

The cast, crew and show really came together during Tech Week. Two or three weeks before the production opens, all the lighting, sound, props and other technical aspects of the show come together. During this time, everything backstage begins to kick into high gear, ensuring the show looks seamless. 

“The first day of Tech Week, we have a big meeting with everyone involved to figure out what goes where and where everyone needs to go,” Balikyan-Davis said. “We start off in pure chaos. But when Tech Week hits, suddenly everything just clicks and you just know what you’re doing. It’s a mixture of planning and muscle memory.”

Although shows typically work smoothly thanks to the immense amount of organizing, sometimes uncontrollable things happen, and it’s up to the crew to figure out how to fix it.

According to junior Pamela Fajardo Alfaro, who helps run the soundboard and microphones, if something goes wrong during a show, the main goal is to fix it as quickly and swiftly as possible, and to never let the audience know.

“If we do have an issue, we don’t think,” she said. “We don’t have time for that, we have to just act and work as fast and seamlessly as possible. Even if we have a ton of chaos over an issue behind the scenes, we do our best to never let it be seen by the audience. You can’t have the audience see your mistakes.”

The show is incredibly frantic and faced-paced. Spiridon thinks this show was unlike anything else the drama department has performed, not only due to the speed but also because the actors are working against the clock. Once the timer runs out, the actors are forced to stop, no matter where they are in the story.

“We have a physical timer on stage,” he said. “They have to keep up with it because you can’t exactly add more time if something happens.”

Fajardo Alfaro encourages people to attend shows put on by the Theater Department. 

“It’s not only about seeing the full visual aspect,” she said. “It’s about the time and dedication we all put into this.”

Students interested in joining the department can talk to Mr. Baldridge in room 303 for more information on the upcoming musical “Sweeny Todd.” Auditions for the spring production are set to take place Nov. 1 in room 303 after school. 

“I wouldn’t have met the people I have and had the experiences I have had if I didn’t do theater,” junior Julian Pankowski said. “I know through personal experience that the department builds friendships and communities like no other. The stress, work and effort will forever be worth it in my mind because of that.”

The abridged version of this article appeared in the Fall 2023 print edition. This is an uncut version.