As fall sports come to a close, the cast of the fall play and the tech theater class are still hard at work preparing for Emma, the theatrical performance taking place this season.

Emma, originally a novel written by Jane Austen, is set in the 19th century and centers around the various predicaments faced by a young matchmaker.

Mrs. Julie Hilliker, the theater and tech theater teacher, chose Emma and is directing the play.

“I saw the movie version of it 5 years ago and I loved it. It was between that and Pride and Prejudice, and I wanted something classic,” Hilliker said.

She didn’t want people to be intimidated by Jane Austen’s classic literature as they typically were of Shakespeare’s works.

Students who wanted to audition for the play was given a brief script to familiarize themselves with before auditioning to allow them to attain a unique perspective of the characters. Once the 12 roles in the play were cast, rehearsal dates were arranged on Mondays to Thursdays from 3 to 5:30. After running through blocks of the script with the two casts of the play, technical aspects become the main focus of rehearsals.

As the performance date draws nearer, rehearsals are conducted with props, costumes, and mics during tech week. Props and stage sets are created by the tech theater class, composed of 35 students and peer teachers. Additional furniture is also gathered and used.

“[The] impact I would like [Emma] to have on the audience is that I want them to laugh. It’s a really funny and cute play and I just want them to enjoy the actors,” Hilliker said.

The first performance of the play will be on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM and continue through Saturday. Tickets will be available through the school website starting October 19, and can also be purchased at the door.

by KAYLA HUNG