SING! Backstage Makes It Happen

Allison Louie ’20 practices the Junior SING! victory song, a remix of “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, while Samsen Marquez ’20 plays the piano. Photo Credit: Justin Chow

By IVAN LEE and VINSON LIN

“We’re on a time restraint,” said Joshua Belasoto ’20. “It’s extremely stressful when we don’t make it on time.”

Perfecting a craft before a deadline naturally brings lots of stress. Of course, that doesn’t stop the SING! backstage staff from working hard to make the production as professional as possible.

“As of right now, I think that it is professional, considering we are high schoolers,” said Ronith Mudhuganti ’20. “Efficiency, quickness, and discretion are our top priorities.”

With lots of things happening at once on the stage, there are bound to be errors and mistakes, even with practice.

“During the show, every time an act or scene ends, we move props onto the stage,” said Mudhuganti. “We expect someone to fall during practice.”

With all the stress, the sense of camaraderie produces motivation.

“What inspires me is that I can work with my friends,” said Joel Rakhamimov ’20. “It helps me and others learn how to work collaboratively and hone our skills.”

Even with the desire to perfect their craft, it is hard to find the time to practice.

“Hardships were trying to find time for rehearsals and planning everything based on time,” said Rakhamimov. “Working together also had its ups and downs, but that was fine.”

“Some struggles would be the size of some of our props,” said Jonathan Li ’20, the junior president. “Like the beds that were very difficult to move until we installed wheels on them.”

There were lots of laughs behind the scenes during practice. 

“We accidentally ran Jonathan over once,” said Belasoto. 

Most importantly though, is what performers gain from the overall experience.

“I love doing it,” said Li. “We get to hang out and work together, and it has a great sense of teamwork. The entire atmosphere was, for the most part, positive and supportive.”