When putting together a show, many factors go into making it great that many people overlook…like tech. The technical side of productions includes anything from different-colored lights to unique makeup. The spring musical for Farmington is The Addams Family. This show will be performed from March 21-24 at Truman Auditorium. The Addams Family is an exciting show, and the tech plays a large role in making it fabulous. The seven main tech roles that make the show what it is… the music, directing, stage management, lights, makeup, sound, and dancing.

As many students know, Claire Naes is the choir director at Farmington High School. In addition to teaching the choir classes, Claire Naes also assists with the music side of the musical. This is the fifth musical that she has done at Farmington. She shared the difference between teaching choir and teaching music for a musical.

“The goals are a little different in musical theatre than in choir; correct pitches and rhythms are the same, but the tone quality and number of parts are different,” says Naes.

She also said that another way musicals are different is at some point the instruments will start to play a role in the music.

She shared something that may be difficult to achieve with The Addams Family, “The production features many different styles of music. Typically, a show will have a similar style of music, but not in The Addams Family. This is what will make this show quite challenging.”

Kala Loughary will be the director for The Addams Family. This will be Loughary’s fourth show directed at Farmington High School. She shared why The Addams Family was chosen to be the spring musical.

“I wanted a show where the ensemble got to have fun,” says Loughary. “In this show, the ensemble is called “The Ancestors.” Typically in a show, the ensemble is only on stage a few times, however, in The Addams Family, the ancestors play a large role. Meaning the ensemble is on stage for the majority of the show. In the Farmington Theater Guild, there is so much talent and this show will be able to portray all of the talent.

Many times throughout production, the director will come across problems. Whether it is about the set or the costumes, there will be a problem, and Loughary has several tactics she uses to overcome these obstacles.

“It depends on the idea, but if it is one I had my heart set on, I take time to mourn my vision, I throw a little pity party, go get a taco, take a deep breath, and refocus,” said Loughary.

Alex Cummings, Lights Operator, will be controlling the lights in his second show. He designed the lights for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and worked the lights for “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” He previously worked as a stage crew member for The Ballet Arts Center and gained experience working backstage. Working the lights is more challenging than some people may think. Cummings spends many late nights after rehearsal to ensure that every light cue is just right.

“What they don’t see is the weeks of designing the lights from position to color to shape to size and the months it took to understand every aspect of the lightboard and how to use its full potential,” says Cummings.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was his first time designing the lights for a show. Previously, he had just followed what was told to him. However, he had full creative freedom with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For The Addams family, he will be getting a group of students together so they can learn how to work the lights.

Senior Finnly Blue, Stage Manager, continues to Stage Manage, after previously managing for “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” The Addams Family differs from a show like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in many ways. In The Addams Family, there will be more people to manage and more props to keep track of.

“It’s a lot harder than people would think,” said Blue. “You have to be paying attention to the show the entire time and be able to call the cues at the right times and not only does the stage manager have to be paying attention at all times they also have to attend many rehearsals so they can start to understand where their cues will be.”

Then Blue shared what makes stage managing special for this production.

“I get to work with a lot of the same people and it’s a new show that we haven’t done before, so I can help assist with some creative decisions and that’s always the fun part,” she said.

Senior Aubrey Hand, Head of Makeup, continues working on makeup for her fourth year. The makeup for The Addams Family will be dark tones. In theatre shows, actors typically use more blush and contour, so they do not look washed out under the spotlights.

Hand says her makeup career will not end when she graduates because she plans on going to cosmetology school in St. Louis.

Sophie Yilmaz, a senior, is going to be the dance captain for this show. In musicals, there is typically a choreographer who teaches the students to learn the dances, however, the dance captain is the one who can correct little mistakes she sees on stage.

She also said, “…this show will be helpful for students doing professional shows in the future because of how many different styles of dance it contains. There may be a point in a student’s future when they will be at an audition and the director yells a dance position, and if they do not know it, the director will be upset.”

Yilmaz has been dancing for seven years and is trained in almost every style of dance. This is helpful because The Addams Family uses different styles of dance, similar to all the different styles of music used in the production.

The Addams Family is going to be a wonderful show. There is so much talent from the actors and the tech that makes this show great. The tech is sometimes forgotten, but their hard work should be recognized just as much as the actors’. This show will be from March 21-24 at Truman Auditorium, ticket prices will be around eight dollars, and tickets will be available for purchase sometime in the spring.