Janaesa Macasaet || STAFF WRITER

Andover High School’s anticipated spring production has been announced to be You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Susan Choquette, Director of Theatre Arts, revealed the process of selecting a production. For the spring show, whether a musical or play is chosen is dependent on several factors, including the results of the Drama Fest. 

Preparation has recently begun, with the show taking place mid-May. The Theatre Guild always produces a musical in the fall, and a play for Drama Fest—an annual competition between schools—in the winter. The spring show, however, can either be a play (10-minute, one-act, Shakespearian), or a musical, which is largely impacted by the results of Drama Fest.

Kai Cruz, a senior who has been in the Theatre Guild for four years, said, “I think that making it to finals, because it extends so much of our time in the Theatre Guild to focusing on the festival, eats into some of the time that we have for the spring show.”

Time constraints for the spring show not only include time from the Drama Fest, but also time taken away due to the Collins Center being rented out almost every weekend to dance companies. Licensing and budget also play a role in the choice, with musicals costing more for royalties and the rental of orchestra scores each night. 

In general, however, Choquette approaches her process of choosing a production with a four-year cycle, where a different type of play or musical is done each year to ensure students of each grade experience a variety of shows. 

“I want them to look at the list of shows that they have participated in and look at a very diverse list,” said Choquette. “I feel that’s my mission as an educator—to make sure that kids get lots of exposure to different kinds of theater.”

Choquette also looks for different themes and messages when choosing a production. When dealing with more serious topics, the administration’s approval is always taken into account, though it has rarely been an issue.

“Our administrators have always been super supportive…. One of my mottos is if we can talk about it in health class, we can put it on the stage. If these topics are not forbidden in our health and wellness classes, then we should be able to tell stories that involve those themes,” said Choquette. 

Choquette also aims to choose productions that best fit with the Theatre Guild, and make changes when necessary. In the fall production of Into The Woods, roles were added to the story, though a few actors were cut, which is not a common occurrence. 

“There haven’t been many changes to how productions are run lately… They only really cut people once every ten years or so,” said Anna Bacchi, a senior in the Theatre Guild. “I don’t have many things that I would change because I think our creative team does a really good job with running things.”

While students are not directly involved in the decision-making process, they are able to make suggestions. For the seniors, the spring show is more than their typical production. 

“This spring is a time for celebrating, and for the graduating seniors, it’s their last show, so it’s always just a bittersweet moment, but I think that this spring show is sort of the culmination of everything that we’ve done as a guild together,” said Cruz.