Winter in Pullman hit a little late this year, and it feels as if a magical ice queen has put a spell on the Palouse to live in an eternal winter. Thankfully, Pullman High School Drama Club can explain the lore behind our current weather phenomena through their winter musical production of “Frozen”.
Lux Barnum and Reece Gotch, seniors at Pullman High School and stage managers for PHS Drama Club, said productions like this take months to prepare, both for the tech crew and the actors.
“We started building on Dec. 1, and we finished everything last week,” they said.
Andrew Mielke, band, choir and drama teacher and head coach of drama club at Pullman High School, said the school district treats the young thespians with the same dignity as the traveling athletes.
PHS classifies the Drama Club as a sport and funds it as such.
“Drama club is after school, just like a sport,” Mielke said. “We run three seasons in the fall, winter and spring, just like sports. And I’m the head coach, and we have two assistant coaches and they’re funded through the school district, just like a sport.”
The effort put forth by students and coaches is considerable, and the quality of the productions reflects this effort.
Natalie Clark, a PHS senior who plays the role of Anna, has been performing in shows since elementary school and is well-versed in the process of preparing for the stage.
“I have free time, I’m on my Quizlet running lines. I’ve got my tracks all downloaded on my phone and I’m always singing along, humming along, listening to the soundtrack,” Clark said. “There’s just so much analysis and a layer of memorization that you have to have intrinsically to be able to then get on stage and just feel comfortable and live in the role. All of the heavy lifting of acting happens before you even step onto the stage.”
Through all of the auditions, preparation and late-night rehearsals, Clark said the people she works with to successfully put on these large productions ultimately make or break the quality of the show.
“I’ve been through so many different roles, ups and downs in the process of creating art with a collection of people who are all motivated towards the same end goal and it’s really special,” Clark said. “You’re able to come together in a collaborative creative process of putting on this huge spectacle, but then at its heart, grounding it in real emotions that we all feel for each other and for the story that we’re telling.”
After months of performing to an empty theater, the cast and crew of “Frozen” are simply excited to perform for an audience.
“We’ve been practicing 10-plus hours a week,” Mielke said. “We have all these jokes and hopefully people laugh. I’ve done it enough that I have confidence that this is going to be a good show.”
PHS’s “Frozen” production opens at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at Pullman High School. Shows will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week and next week. Matinee performances are at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 general admission.
