Joshua Zhuang | October 19th, 2023
Following the success of last year’s production of Beauty and the Beast, the arts department will return this December with six showings of The Addams Family.
Auditions were held earlier this September, just a few days after the start of the school, and with the cast selected, rehearsals are already underway. The Woodstock interviewed Grade 11 student Hanna Alaei, who will play Alice Beineke and previously starred as Belle, to learn more about what being a performer at the Woodlands is like.
The Woodstock (W): Tell us what a typical rehearsal session is like. Hanna: There are four main types of rehearsals: singing, dancing, staging, and full run-throughs. The first type can be group rehearsals, for the bigger numbers, or smaller rehearsals for the solos, duets, and smaller pieces. They’re typically between 30 minutes and an hour. Dance rehearsals usually last an hour to two hours long. I haven’t personally been in any dance rehearsals yet this year, but it seems to me like they make an incredible amount of progress each time. Staging rehearsals vary in length depending on how long the scene is, but usually don’t pass an hour. During them, the actors are taught their roles in that specific scene. We’re told where to stand, where to move, what to say, how to interact with props and other actor – those kinds of things. Afterwards, for all three types, it’s up to the actor to go over what they’ve learned at home and remember it for the next rehearsal. Then we have the actual run-throughs. We haven’t had any of those yet for The Addams Family – they usually happen towards the end of the production period. They can be two hours or longer because it’s the whole musical that’s being rehearsed. Songs, dances, everything. Last year when we first started doing those [for Beauty and the Beast], we started with just the first or the second act, and then eventually progressed to doing the whole thing every day. Starting from two weeks or so before show day, we’ll run the whole thing every day after school. Every day.
W: When did you first discover your passion for the stage? Hanna: I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. In elementary school, I used to participate in a lot of the little skits my school did, but then my self-confidence plummeted in middle school and I stopped doing any sort of public speaking. In grade 9, I decided to participate in a competition run by the National Theatre School. That was a really positive experience. Everyone in the cast was great, our director Annika was incredible, and our playwright Salma was absolutely amazing. That experience helped build up my confidence and exposed me to the world of theatre. At that point, I knew that it was something I enjoyed, and so, in grade 10, I auditioned for Beauty and the Beast. Back then, public singing was still my third biggest fear, so I have my music teacher, family, and friends to thank for peer-pressuring me into doing it because it certainly wasn’t my own willpower. I got the role of Belle, which was terrifying at first, but then super fun. Everyone in the cast was so friendly. We all got along incredibly well and did all sorts of fun stuff. There was a cool sense of community. After the musical ended, though, I found that I was bored. I think that’s when I really realized that I love being on stage. I didn’t want to stop doing it.
W: Tell us a bit about the character you’ll play. Hanna: My character, Alice, is a super cheerful and sunny lady, who’s actually very unhappy with her life. Her coping mechanism is to write poetry and speak in verse, which I find fun. Alice struggles with expressing her emotions, because she doesn’t believe that her feelings are as important as other people’s, so she tries her best not to let her emotions show so that she doesn’t hurt anyone or mess anything up. I feel like this is a very relatable trait for a lot of people, and that Alice represents the dangers of the trait nicely. Her character arc and the little quirks of her personality make her a really interesting and fun character, with a hint of dark and gloom. Overall a very fun character to play.
W: What’s the hardest part about playing her? Hanna: Alice has some pretty big personality shifts. I’m currently at the stage where I’m trying to characterize her tone and movements and get into the “Alice mindset,” but the dramatic changes in her demeanor from start to finish are giving me a little bit of trouble. I think it’s one of those things that happen through time, repetition, and a few “aha!” moments. Playing a mother character was also new to me, so I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, but at the same time, I’m super excited to try something different. The good news is that we have two months to figure out the little kinks in our characters and find the cool dynamics between them that really make a musical come to life.
W: How would you describe Mr. Lalonde as a director? Hanna: I think he’s brilliant. He’s very good at being encouraging and approachable, but strict at the same time. He’s doing a great job keeping us on track and organized. With him as a director, I’m sure the musical will be beyond amazing. All of the teachers and staff contributing to the musical deserve a huge round of applause for the amount of energy, time, and care they are committing to this production. I want to thank Mr. Lalonde, Mr. Debeck, Ms. Moniz, Mr. Lascot, Mr. Brox, Ms. Martinez, Mr. Mootrey, and everyone else who is working hard to make this happen. We appreciate all of you! You’re all doing a wonderful job!
W: How do you think our production will be unique - what's our school going to do that'll make The Addams Family special? Hanna: That’s a surprise!
We thank Hanna Alaei for her time, and look forward to seeing her – and the dozens of other students involved – on the stage in December.
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