The third annual Lightridge Boltfest ran from Jan. 16-25. Boltfest is the theatre department’s annual festival that combines class productions, musicals, and senior-directed one-acts.
This year, Boltfest showcased two weeks of student-run shows. The program included “The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza” by the Theatre I and Theatre II classes, “Xanadu Jr.” by the musical theatre class, “Scenes of Metamorphoses” by the advanced theatre class, and the after-school program of senior-directed one-acts, including “The Trojan War: If it Was Honest” directed by senior Mayson Wu and “Okeanos 4” by senior Yilin Chen.
“The difference between Boltfest and other plays or musicals is that Boltfest has many more shows in a few days, and there’s more opportunities for people to show themselves,” said Wu.
Boltfest preparation included weeks of set building, rehearsing, directing, and costume design.
“It was challenging working around all the other shows,” said senior Aidan Ulery, when asked about rehearsal. “ Coordinating rehearsal locations and schedules was a process, but we figured it out.”
One of the shows, Metamorphoses, included a retelling of various Greek myths that involved a student-built pool in the school’s black box. Viewers in the front rows got to be in the “splash zone” which made for a lively and engaging atmosphere.
“It was so much fun performing in a pool every night, even though it was really cold,” said junior Chloe Steverson.
“My favorite part was getting to work alongside my friends to put on a show by ourselves, with the help of Kalbaugh of course. Getting his insight made a world of difference in improving our show,” said senior Ella Lee.
“The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza” was a comedy that put yet another unique twist on an original Greek myth. Imagine Pandora’s Box involving cops, a love story between an emo Orpheus and Eurydice, and the Titan Cronus in marriage counseling.
“Xanadu Jr.” was a musical about an artist, Sonny, who begins to lose hope towards following his dream to create a roller skating disco, until one day, a muse named Kira (Clio) motivates him to follow his dream.
“Preparation was different for me because I wasn’t just learning my part as a Greek muse in Xanadu, I was also choreographing dances and ensuring other performers were prepared,” said senior Ella Lee. “ Being more in charge of my own shows and preparation was a challenge but was also a lot of fun.”
The productions garnered positive reviews from Lightridge students.
“I’m not usually interested in plays or theater, just because I can get bored, but when I watched my friends perform in Xanadu it was actually really interesting,” said junior Cooper Gaull.
“If I had to describe it in one word, it would be ‘impressive,” said senior Morgan Rutherford
“Probably my favorite show that Lightridge Theater has done, aside from The Little Mermaid,” said junior Sophie Samson
Theatre’s next production is the spring musical, “Mama Mia.”
