The Abilene High School production of Tarzan the Stage Musical is opening this week on Thursday, November 6th. Every actor, director, manager, and crew member has worked tirelessly to bring the show to fruition. A big part of bringing the show to life was creating sets which many actors actually helped build by hand.
The decision to hand-make every set came from a need for money. Director Harlie Delay and musical director Danette Whiteley believed this method would help save the musical department money for next year and enforce a key message: reduce, reuse, recycle.
“…the musical is on a lower budget than we typically produce a show with. But in an effort to raise funds for next year, we decided to keep it on a low budget this year and not overspend. We tried to make as much as possible from recycled materials and make it ourselves…” said Delay. “And also, with the jungle theme of Tarzan, I thought it was a really cool idea to incorporate things being repurposed and having a green aspect to our production process.”
Mrs. Whiteley’s stagecraft class contributed the most to building the show’s scenery. Students wanted to make every set embody the experiences of the jungle.
“My favorite part is watching it come together. It kind of starts as a drawing and then as you do it, it comes together. Then you start to paint it, put it all together, and then watch the musical,” said Ryan Perkins.
People may not realize how any materials can be used to create the musical’s background. Any type of recycled material was useful to students.
“We used cardboard boxes for trees and costumes were made out of scraps of clothing. For rocks, we used papier mache,” said senior Sagen Immel who plays the show’s lead.
Delay wants to enforce the idea of mindfulness. Whether between personal connections or material goods, the messages of the show transcend creative barriers.
“My message is the same as Kala’s: though we’re different, we’re not that different at all,” said Delay. “…I think that recycled materials concept is really kind of an ask for all of us to be careful with what we have and thinking reduce, reuse, recycle all the time. And [I want them] to know that even though people are different, we can become one family in different worlds.”
From the actors, after putting in a great deal of time and effort to perfect the show, they would love everyone to come and appreciate their work.
“I really hope you enjoy it and look at all the beautiful crafts that we created and the intricate details to make it transform from just a mere stage into a beautiful thriving jungle,” said senior Anna Richrdson.
(Mr. Perkins says to come see the musical!)
