I want you to travel with me to a faraway place, right here on campus. Here, the lights beam down as sweat streaks your face. You can smell the dusty costume you’re wearing, mixed with the refreshments just out of sight. You can still taste those cookies you had before the last dress rehearsal. Your voice is loud; it echoes as you pour your heart into song. The eyes of a thousand strangers stare into yours, waiting. You can almost feel the weight of the anxiety on your shoulders. You turn your head away from the prying, judgmental stares and you catch sight of the family that’s supported you on this entire journey.

   Their presence gives you that last bit of confidence, and you turn back to the audience: no longer strangers, but friends and family supporting you. You continue the performance, and all too soon the audience is on their feet, cheering you and your fellow cast members on. The curtain closes, and as your heart rate returns to normal, you can’t help but smile. Tomorrow’s show will be amazing.

   To create a performance people will remember, Mrs. Blackledge says, “You’ve got to do your homework -a lot of homework.” Each individual aspect of performance; acting, singing, and dancing; relies on the others as well as the tech crew, stage managers, lighting and sound crew, and the set designers.

   The director, Mrs. Rippel, must first choose what production will be shown. After 15 years as the theater teacher at Bolles (a total of 27 shows!), she has the process down to a science. She balances the need for variety, entertaining scripts, a relatable story and characters, something that generates excitement within the student body, and is fun to perform. For musicals, an entire team picks the production. After the show is chosen, the casting process begins! According to Mrs. Rippel, she casts based on, “versatility, chemistry with the characters and other potential cast members, their ability to take direction, and if I think they can be successful in a role I can give them.”

   Mrs. Blackledge, the choreographer for Bolles for 23 years (choreography for 12 musicals!), has just as much work to do to prepare. She must research the era in which the play is set, looking for the music style and costumes for about 20 different numbers. Mrs. Clifton also has lots of work to do- every song performed is perfected by her and the singer. She also plays the piano during the performances!

   The tech crew, sound and lighting crew, and stage directors are all students, and none of the shows would be a success without their help and Mr. Payne’s dedication. These individuals make everything run smoothly in every show!

10. Revenge of the Space Pandas

   In the spring of 2015, “Revenge of the Space Pandas” brought a huge crowd to the McGehee Auditorium. “It was a really fun show overall,” said Mrs. Rippel, “I had a lot of fun with that one.”

9. As You Like it

    The Shakespearean comedy “As You Like it” was performed in 2009. Mrs. Rippel used her experience traveling to England to create a replica similar to the Globe Theatre.

8. The Man Who Came to Dinner

    The script of “The Man Who Came to Dinner” was first written in 1939, and was performed at Bolles in 2012. Mrs. Rippel said this particular play was one of her favorites because of the “funny script and great cast.”

7. And Then There Were None

“And Then There Were None” was originally a novel by Agatha Christie, and was adapted into a play a few years later. The novel happens to be part of the eighth grade curriculum. “I love choosing a play in the curriculum.” says Mrs. Rippel, “It gives an entirely new perspective for both students that watch and perform them.” The psychological thriller was performed 3 years ago, in 2013, and is sure to be remembered as we watch the preparations for the upcoming mystery, “Holmes for the Holidays.”

6. Tartuffe

The French comedy, Tartuffe, was performed in 2015. Mrs. Rippel, “loved everything about that play.” She said, “The cast was incredibly talented, and everything turned out wonderfully.”

5. Fiddler on the Roof

“‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is such a classic, I can’t help but love it.” said Mrs. Blackledge, “Everything in the performance was unique. The music, the dances. . .everything! A wonderful show.” This particular play was not directed by Mrs. Rippel, though, but by Mr. Dixon in 1998. He based the play off the style of artist Marc Chagall.

4. Peter Pan

   The Bolles production of “Peter Pan” is not only a Bolles favorite, but also a Jacksonville favorite. In 1994, Mr. Fritton, Mrs. Clifton, and Mrs. Blackledge worked with actors and actresses from the Bolles high school to create a show that appeared at the Florida Theatre!

3. Wizard of Oz

In 2005, a school-wide production of “The Wizard of Oz” was performed. Mrs. Rippel stated that it was a favorite of hers because of, “the lasting relationships made during the production were astounding.”

  Coincidentally, Mrs. Gonzalez, a current art teacher, designed the play’s set nearly 6 years before being employed here. When asked about how much work went into a project like this one, she said, “about 30% more [work] than you would think, but that last 30% is always the most enjoyable.” For the set, she projected sketched ideas for some of the backgrounds, but others, such as the spooky forest, were painted free-hand. She made the wizard himself a puppet, and for her, the most memorable costume was Glyndia’s. She remarked, “you couldn’t tell, but the dress was made of bubble wrap that was wrapped in cellophane!”

2. Macbeth

   In 2004, Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Macbeth”, was performed with a twist. Mrs. Rippel commented that, “It was post-apocalyptic before it was cool.” She said her favorite part of the play was that they turned the famous dinner scene into a rave!

1. Annie

   Though many past productions have been wonderful, it seems the 2013 school-wide production of “Annie” holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Mrs. Rippel commented that it, “created unity among the 4 campuses and the kids of all ages.” The cast was the largest in school history at 103 performers (the average number is about 13-14) and the largest tech crew of 15 (the average is around 7-8). Mrs. Blackledge said she, “love[s] the all age shows, and love[s] working with everyone.” She also admits the particular show was very special to her, because her dog was casted as the dog, Sandy.