'Crazy For You' by JDCHS

Intermountain Catholic

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By Rachel Kuhr

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

DRAPER — Rehearsals for the Juan Diego Catholic High School production of "Crazy For You" are getting longer and more intense as the Nov. 2 opening night approaches.

The cast and crew plan a performance for all to enjoy. This means endless hours of work for everyone. About 45 actors and actresses appear in the show, with other students, parents and teachers working behind the scenes.

Juniors Amy Cid and Erik Tita are taking on the lead roles of Polly Baker and Bobby Child – "Crazy For You" revolves around the complicated relationship between these two characters – a romance with a comical twist.

Rehearsals are chaotic, Tita said. At some moments, everything is in order, but effective rehearsing involves many stops and starts as well. The show’s director, Steve Pay, often stops the dialogue or singing when he believes something should be done differently. Laughing or correcting each other can also bring their efforts to a momentary halt.

"Rehearsals right now are really disjointed, because we’re taking pieces of it," said Pay. "It’s like putting a puzzle together."

Additional preparations include set painting three days a week. Parent volunteers donate their time and energy to construct and paint the set and prepare the costumes along with the student tech crew.

Tap dancing is the focus as far as choreography; the student actors say it is hard to master, especially without lessons.

"There are many steps that sound and look similar, but you have to learn to differentiate between them," Cid said.

This group of students is anxious to share what they’ve been working on for so many months. Many of their dreams will be achieved on stage opening night.

Pay is confident in his cast. "We’ve had most of the leads in our program for two or three years, so they are well seasoned and they understand what to do, and the new kids coming up that are in it want to be there," he said, adding that the best part of being a director is "watching the kids grow in their parts, and then bringing it to life on stage."

Cid describes the play as a way for everyone to make new friends and get closer to the people they already know. While the cast is putting so much time and effort into the show, they are also growing together as friends and classmates.

Tita agrees. It’s "something special that we can all come together as a family and perform something as great as a full musical production," he said.

The performances will take place Nov. 2-5 at 7 p.m. in the Juan Diego Catholic High School auditorium.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and children.

Rachel Kuhr is a freshman at Juan Diego Catholic High School.