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The Theater Troupe 2024 production of Ride the Cyclone was an extraordinary show! Call it biased if you must, but it was truly one of the best productions I have ever participated in. 

The process of bringing this show to life began with an excellent cast, selected by the Heads of Theater Troupe, Grace Hedlund and Lacey Zaharis. 

Although the show itself had a slow start, the cast as well as the heads stayed extremely dedicated throughout the entire process and contributed immensely to the overall success of the show. 

If you watched the show you probably wouldn’t guess that the actual coming together of the show really only happened in the last 2 – 3 weeks of rehearsals. When it came down to it, all of the cast, lights, and tech, really focused on what needed to be done. It was very inspiring how determined everyone was to make the show as good as it became in the end. 

Honestly, I had never touched a spotlight before. The Tuesday before the first production was the day that I was shown how to use this machine, the rest was improvised. My spotlight partner, Matthew Munson, made sure that everything was flawless during the show and he did an exceptional job. He was so kind and understanding and we had a lot of good laughs during the process. I really couldn’t ask for a better spotlight partner-in-crime! 

Even seeing the show from as far back in the theater as one could have been, the cast made it all heard and looked better than ever could have imagined. Not to bring up that whole “biased” thing again, the show wouldn’t have been what it was without lights and spots. The most impactful scene in my opinion, Cara Scamardella’s performance of “The Ballad of Jane Doe” wouldn’t have been as compelling, sophisticated, and elegant as it was without the way Matt and I manipulated the spotlight throughout the performance(s). 

A good show isn’t just shaped by the cast. It is shaped by the production, lighting, and tech teams as well. If you need more proof, come see next year’s Theater Troupe show!