Here we go again, Wakefield’s next musical, “Mamma Mia!,” opens April 16. It serves as an amazing ending to a spectacular season. A show has multiple parts to it, including the cast, crew, audience and more. Every part contributes to the making of the show in its own way. Wakefield Theatre Company specifically has shown commitment and growth during this process.
Before auditions or casting of a show, the director has to choose which show to perform. Catherine Delaney, the director of “Mamma Mia!” at Wakefield, has the responsibility of choosing the shows for the year. She has to put a lot of thought into choosing the show.

“It was a good contrast to our fall show, and it’s one that my students have expressed a lot of interest in doing,” Delaney said.

Apart from the director, the actor or actress also has a part in choosing whether or not they want to do the show. Melody Ilardi, a junior who plays Sophie in “Mamma Mia!,” had specific thoughts about who to audition for and why she did.

“I’ve always liked ‘Mamma Mia!’ and so many people told me that I look like Sophie, but I didn’t even audition for Sophie, I just wanted to be in it,” Ilardi said.

After the audition process comes the casting, which is done by the director. There are many things to take into consideration while casting a show, and it can be very hard to work all the different parts into play. Delaney shares the challenges of casting.

“Casting is difficult because as a teacher, I’m thinking about educational opportunities for growth for my students, as well as what will best serve the production,” Delaney said.

A big part of the behind-the-scenes work is stage managing the show. Kennedy Robinson, a sophomore and Assistant Stage Manager, describes what the role entails and what skills one would need to have.

“It’s like being the boss of everyone,” Robinson said. “I do a lot. Sometimes I do blocking, [and] sometimes I’m in the shop working on things and making them better.”

The show’s director also works behind the scenes, creating a checklist of what the actors and technicians need to complete and when, along with what songs need choreography or blocking. Actors work on music, lines and more.

“I create an outline before we audition of what songs we’ll have to choreograph, what blocking needs to happen and when we’ll need to [practice] music,” Delaney said.

A student sometimes takes over choreographing the show. A prime example of this is Lucy Winter, a senior and student choreographer of “Mamma Mia!” Winter doesn’t always have a full idea of what she wants to do, so sometimes she takes inspiration from other performances.

“I like to watch other productions of the show we’re doing, specifically other high school productions, so that I can get a feel for something we can include or something that’s within our skill set,” Winter said.

The acting isn’t just what brings the story to life: the choreography has a big part in it as well. The choreography provides an extra push into the life of the story by using dancing and movement. Winter shares her view on the impact of choreography in a production.

“I think that the dance brings a lot of life into the storytelling,” Winter said. “It’s essential to the movement of the story and the energy of the production.”

A big part of the show is the actor taking on the role of the character, rather than portraying themselves. Delaney works with the cast on figuring out their characters.

“I love it when I get to spend time with my cast, specifically doing character work, which can be hard between music and choreography,” Delaney said.

Apart from the main cast, there are vital parts of a musical that are more swept under the rug. A very vital part of a show is the ensemble. Ella Molina, a freshman and member of the ensemble, shares her thoughts on her role and its importance.

“[The ensemble is] a really big part of the show in terms of how the plot ends up panning out,” Molina said. “They also bring a lot of energy because they’re constantly dancing and having fun.”

A show can provide laughs, tears and everything in between for the cast, crew and audience. Wakefield’s “Mamma Mia!” has performances on April 16-18. Members of the Wakefield community can head to the production to view the hard work done by these students.

“Every production is unique,” Delaney said. “I think the biggest joy working with this cast and company is that they put everything into these roles.”