Spring Musical 2025

By Lily B.

On March 7th and 8th, Roland-Story High School students performed their spring musical titled “Anything Goes.” The two shows were an outstanding success!

Everyone has the privilege of seeing the actors out on stage, making the show a magical experience, but the crew often goes unnoticed. There are tons of different jobs on crew, such as costumes, hair and makeup, backstage, props, tech, and even stage managers. The work these kids put in isn’t seen the same as the dances and amazing dialogue. It is just as important to the show. 

Props and Backstage work together to get the set ready for performance. This might include painting, building, or just finding the right props for the show. Backstage then moves everything for the scene changes during the show. Hair, makeup, and costumes work to make sure everyone looks well put together and cohesive. Without these people, the show would not come to life the way it does.

Tech also goes above and beyond to ensure everyone gets the best experience. Whether they’re doing spotlights or programming the other lighting, it’s all important. Lighting sets the mood and tone for a scene, it would be obvious if it wasn’t there. Tech also makes sure everyone in the show has microphones and the sound effects they need. This makes the show significantly better and helps the actors blend into their characters better. 

Another role that goes unnoticed is the director's. Mrs. Webb puts in hours and hours to choreograph the dances and scenes for the students. She also worked with Mrs. Anderson to help teach the kids how to tap dance. Mr. Stalzer spends countless hours teaching and helping the students rehearse their songs. He also prepares the pit, a group of musicians to play live music, and directs them from the stage during the performance.  These two, along with the stage managers Kaylee Koppes, Addy Schmitz, and Lily Brunscheon, attend every rehearsal and ensure everything is running smoothly.

The cast and crew consisted of about 70 kids who put in many hours on this show. Practices were four nights a week, spanning about two hours, from early January until the first performance. The crew showed up the last two weeks of practices to get everything ready to go. Between choreography, music rehearsals, tap dancing lessons, and at-home practice, these kids put a lot of effort into this show!

The next musical, titled “Once Upon a Mattress,” is a spin-off of the well known story “A Princess and the Pea.” You can attend the Friday and Saturday night performances next spring. 

Location: 1009 Story St, Story City, IA 50248, USA

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