By: Alexis Cope and Gabby LeBron

With the showing of Cary High’s 2022 musical, Little Shop of Horrors, we asked those involved with the show, both on and off the stage, to share with us a little about their experience. The last musical Cary was able to put on was The Addams Family in 2019, almost exactly two years prior. Below are some of our favorite answers from the cast and crew:

What has been your favorite part of being involved in this show?

“The best part by far has been being present for the entire set, costume, puppets, sound, and choreography’s creation. Seeing how the show’s evolved after the last couple months has been awesome.” – Liam Vaughan (Tech)

“I’ve really loved seeing my friends and the cast, having different fun character interactions, and just being a part of something as big as this.” – Sam Bryant (Seymour)

“Getting to be in a show with one of my daughters.” – Mr. Jessee (Audrey II)

“Getting to see the set and puppets slowly be created and introduced was really fun. It was always exciting to walk into the auditorium for rehearsal and noticing the new details that had been added to the set since the previous day.” – Serena Price (Doo-Wop Girl)

“Watching how much the students have grown through this process and appreciating how much work they are putting in to ensure that it is a success.” – Mr. Bryant (Audrey II)

What has been your favorite moment while rehearsing? Do you have any funny stories to share?

“Mr. Mccoullagh’s improvised lines as Audrey II are hilarious every time — they change too!” – Liam Vaughan (Tech)

“I’ve had a lot of great moments but one that sticks out is when I was first rehearsing with the plants and seeing them all nervous was super funny to me.” – Sam Bryant (Seymour)

“Being able to see everything come together…costumes, set, music. I have also loved working with all the plants and their voices, it’s so fun to see what each featured plant voice brings to the table!” – Alexis Cope (Mrs. Mushnik)

“My favorite moment rehearsing was when we first started reading the musical in the beginning and none of us knew what we were getting into and it was super enjoyable to see everyone find their character.” – Alana Barber (Doo-Wop Girl)

“Watching the plant eat people while I’m in the wings, it’s so cool to see both the show and what’s going on behind it at the same time. I also remember when we had to do a set change during “Somewhere That’s Green” we forgot to put out the tentacles but we all managed to get them set up before the curtain rose.” – Caroline Smith (Tech)

“I really liked learning how to get eaten by the plant puppet. Our tech is so above and beyond and it is mind blowing to see everything they have done for our plant puppets.” – Maddie Alger (Audrey)

“Finally being able to go through the entire show on stage. Being able to clearly experience how far we came from initially learning the material was incredible.” – Micah Kennel (Wino #1)

“My favorite moment is coordinating my speaking and singing with the students operating the puppet…how cool is that!” – Mr. Jessee (Audrey II)

What have you learned through this show?

“I have learned to cherish the time being on stage. Since it’s my senior year that means it’s my last show so I really want to make this last production extra meaningful.” – Maddie Alger (Audrey)

“It’s very hard to balance singing, dancing, and acting, but it’s really fun once you get the hang of it!” – Serena Price (Doo-Wop Girl)

“I’ve learned about how things work backstage. I’ve always been interested in theater and tech, but I haven’t had much actual experience with what goes on behind the scenes. The biggest things I’ve learned is how busy everything can be when not onstage and also how much waiting there is.” – Dalin Klebanow (Tech)

“Through this show I have learned how to find my voice. I have always been very scared to sing, but being in Little Shop has really boosted my confidence!” – Allie Ferking (Doo-Wop Girl)

“That I can do a lot more than I thought I could. I started off this show so nervous in so many ways but I feel more confident and ready to perform than ever.” – Alexis Cope (Mrs. Mushnik)

“I think I might be claustrophobic! Being in those puppets can be intense.” – Katie Broughton (Tech)