Hey, Crusaders!

I hope you’ve all had a fantastic April. As we approach this school year’s close, I’d like to tell you about the fantastic performance of Little Women: the Musical put on by the Cardinal Newman Drama Club. On Friday April 29th, the cast and crew opened the show with a bang. What’s more, we surpassed the school’s $3500 ticket sales record! During both performances of the musical, the gym was filled to the brim with supportive audience members and over $4000 were made in ticket sales alone! 

These audience members included friends and family of the cast and crew, our classmates and teachers, previous drama club directors, and even critics employed by the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts! On Friday, two of these critics were in attendance, and one attended our closing performance on Saturday. Considering that the Cardinal Newman Drama Club has not put on a musical production in its entirety in three years, with the most recent being The Addams Family, anticipation and expectations ran high for this performance, which were surpassed in various aspects. Notably, due to inclement weather conditions, a power outage occurred towards the end of Act One on opening night. In utter professionalism, actors and crew members onstage and backstage remained entirely calm and composed; as the audience held its breath, the performers kept their cool. In less than five minutes, the lighting and sound team had the show back up and running as those watching breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, many in attendance reported that they were incredibly impressed with the level of professionalism displayed in the dire moment. As

many have testified throughout history, challenges reveal our true character and ability. This challenge most certainly is an example of that testament. 

Furthermore, with the unfailing dedication of crew members in charge of props and costumes, every actor made it to their cues with promptitude. Certain intense costume changes were conducted with time to spare under difficult circumstances. At one point in the show, Jo March sheds her wig in just thirty seconds, which was a task made simple with the aid of costume and prop technicians like Celine Singh, Grace George, Illiana Palumbo, and Hailey Taylor. 

The 30+ members of the Cardinal Newman Drama Club involved in putting together this year’s performance of Little Women: the Musical made audiences laugh and cry as they told the timeless tale originally authored by Louisa May Alcott through scene and song. They did so with a level of grace and professionalism that is quite rare for high school theater departments. We can’t wait to show you what else we can do in the years to come. 

In the meantime, I’m signing off, as this is my last article I will pen for CN Blue and Gold. I’m so grateful to have been a part of the Cardinal Newman Drama Club, especially to have had the chance to depict Jo March, one of my favorite characters of all time. I sincerely thank everyone who went Off to Massachusetts with us this year in support of the dramatic arts, and I thank every person in the cast and crew, as well as teachers like Mrs. Mirabent and Ms. Hayden, for giving us the chance to bring this story to life. 

“I like good strong words that mean something.” – Jo March, Little Women