Even though the 26/27 school year is only in its fifth week of instruction, the students at the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts are already in the fourth week of construction for the first mainstage production of the year. And it’s a monster.
For the second time, the academy is taking on the challenge of producing the stage phenomenon known as “The Phantom of the Opera.” Hundreds of students are hammering, sawing, sewing, hanging, building, seeking or making whatever they need to bring the story to life, in a theater that is now, almost appropriately, 100 years old.
While the actors are off rehearsing to showcase their talents on stage, the technical crew is working long hours preparing that stage with all the necessities needed by those actors to perform at their best. It’s long hours of hard work, and the crew wouldn’t have it any other way. They love it.
“This is my first time (doing Phantom). I’m really excited, though, because of the chandelier, everyone is looking forward to that,” Stage Manager Kylie Schnaas.
Kylie is a senior at Huntington Beach High and has been in the program for four years. On show night, it will be Kylie’s job to make sure all the moving parts are ready and set up at the appropriate time. As for the chandelier, those who have seen the show know that it is not just a light fixture, but almost a character in its own right. It comes to symbolize the rage and power of the Phantom and plays an intricate part in the story.
That part will fall into the hands of the lighting designer, Seth Gianotti, a senior at Ocean View High. In this production, lighting the stage is just part of the challenge. The production includes lighting parts of the theater and opera boxes that are built off stage that will hold actors. Much of the dim and mysterious lighting design is meant to draw the audience into the story.
“I also control the chandelier, making all of its effects and stuff going … so there’s a bunch of things going on with lights for me, but it’s been really fun,” Seth said.
Seth has also enlisted help to craft covers for the footlights, those on the floor at the front of the stage. In keeping with the timeline of the story (written in 1910 by Gaston Leroux) the lights will be covered by foam clamshells to recreate those used at the time to project light onto the actors.
The broader design of the stage and decor has been led by Scenic Designer and HB High senior Alex Johnson. Alex was a late-comer to the program, joining ACA junior year. But Alex jumped in with both feet working on almost every show to build up her resume. And when it came to Phantom, Alex was extra motivated.
“For scenic design, I prepped as soon as school ended, when summer began, I began drawing the sets because I was so passionate about drawing Phantom of the Opera. Even if I didn’t get it, … I was gonna show people what I dreamt of with the set because I’ve loved Phantom of the Opera for so long,” Alex said.
Students in the academy are all from the Huntington Beach Union High School District. They do their academic work at their home school and then work at the theater on the campus of Huntington Beach High. Between the mainstage theater and a smaller “black box” theater, the academy will produce upwards of 20 shows per year.
“Hardly a weekend goes by where (the theater) is empty,” Technical Assistant and HBAPA alum, Karim Alkhouli said.
And many students seem to take on a lot of different jobs, particularly on the technical side. Kylie said she is hoping to take on Scenic Designer duties for a show this year, and Alex is hoping she can tackle the Stage Manager job before she graduates. Different programs have different requirements for graduation, so students get training in many different aspects of performance or tech.
All parts are taught in some way. If it pertains to entertainment – theater, film, music, dance, etc. – it is taught at HBAPA. There is a Music, Media & Entertainment Technology program and a pop studio where students learn about concert performances, and learn current music production technology.
“My favorite part of this program is the fact that I can do so many different things without the restrictions, like, I’ve lit plenty of shows, but I’ve also put mics on actors, I’ve live mixed on the audio console, I’ve been in the spot(light) booth; I haven’t done set designing yet, but I’m hoping to do that this year,” Kylie said.
Phantom of the Opera opens this weekend on the Mainstage at Huntington Beach High, 1905 Main St. in Huntington Beach. Performances are Oct. 16-18 and 23-25. Shows are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information on shows, or the academy, visit hbapa.org.