Behind the Curtains: The Season-Long Passion that makes SING! SING!

Six weeks of hours-long rehearsals all boil down to three shows. Parents bask in the homogenous chorus of voices and instruments, the graceful movements of actors and dancers, and the appealing aesthetics of paintings and handmade costumes that denote the theme. The theater is filled with bursts of energy and school spirit. But what creates this energy? Dive deeply into directors' personal stories and catch a glimpse of the camaraderie and dedication that produce this mesmerizing experience.

Mika Simoncelli, Senior SING! Cast Director

Tell me about your experience in theater, including SING! and STC.

I had zero acting, directing, or theater experience coming into Stuy. Then, in freshman year, I was the assistant director of Soph-Frosh SING!’s cast, and that was a really great experience. And I keep coming back every year because it was so inspiring to watch this show come together. As a freshman, I was learning the ropes and didn’t really assert myself, but I really learned so much that year. There are still moments in that show that I think about and use to help me work on my current show.

My first STC show was Putnam County Spelling Bee in sophomore year. I was in the ensemble. Then, I did Laramie and Drowsy Chaperone. This year, I got to be on Slate, which is really exciting. I got to direct All My Sons, which I feel very lucky to been able to do.

What inspired you to apply for Assistant Director in freshman year, even though you had no prior experience in theater?

I had a friend who was applying, so we applied together. She talked about it to me, and I knew I wanted to be involved in SING! just based on what I heard about it, and that sounded like a really great way to get involved.

What do you do specifically as a Cast Director?

It’s not a very well-defined job, and it depends. There are a few things that every cast director has to do, but there are also things I do that other directors don’t.

I do staging; I tell the characters where to go and movements they can do while acting. I do a lot of character work, which includes reading through lines, talking about the motivation behind them, and how they should be said. I also block; “blocking” is another word for staging. For example, “Walk over to this side during the chorus,” and “do this move during this line.”

What do you love most being a Cast Director?

I really love this spirit of cast in general. It’s always very playful. Because the script is organic and constantly changing, and so much of it comes from the cast members themselves, it just makes for a really dynamic vibe where people are always contributing to the show and coming up with ideas. It’s a really creative group of people. And seeing my handprint on the show is exciting for me.

Another thing that I really love about cast directing is that I get to work with people of different crews. I work with the lights & sound directors and help them program the different light settings for the show. I have been involved in chorus by blocking their songs. I consult with props, costumes, and art to come up with ideas.

I just feel really grateful to have gotten to know so many people and to work with so many people. I have so much respect for the work that everyone is doing.

How has your experience in theater shaped you as a person and your Stuyvesant experience?

It’s taught me a lot about who I want to be in the world, and that I always want to be in a creative environment and especially a collaborative one. SING! has been an antidote to the pressure of Stuy. Even though it’s a competition, it never really feels like one to me. It’s a thing that I look forward to the most every year. I can’t imagine my Stuy experience without it; I feel like my whole Stuy experience has been structured around SING!. It’s been this metric where I’ve been able to see myself and the people around me grow just based on how much better SING! gets every year and how we improve on our mistakes.

Since the selection process for cast members is difficult, based on what aspects do you make your selections?

It is a really, really difficult process. The one thing that’s made it easier over the years is that I learned to trust myself and my judgment. If I have a gut feeling that this person needs to be in callbacks, I go for it. It’s partly because I think SING! acting is much more about charisma and presence; while I’ve seen so many actors who try out bring really interesting, nuanced, and subtle things to the table and do a really good job interpreting the monologue, sometimes the louder presence wins out.

Emily Li, Senior SING! Latin Director

Tell me about your dance history.

I danced Latin for eight years, and before that, I did general dancing on the side. I started Latin with my cousins—we danced at the same studio, and that encouraged me to dance more often. It was a fun experience for me. I learned a lot from it and became a lot more confident.

Coming into Stuyvesant, my cousin, who was a senior when I was a freshman, told me about how amazing the dance community here was. So, I definitely wanted to join it. I joined Latin for Soph-Frosh SING!. It was a fun experience, though it was hectic and confusing since I didn’t know anyone. But I started directing myself for my sophomore year’s Stuy Squad; since then, I have been directing Stuy Squad, SING!, and SOS.

How has directing Latin for all these years shaped your Stuyvesant experience and you as a person?

Through directing, I met most of my friends and gained a lot of confidence. During freshman year, I was very shy and didn’t talk to many people. But when directing, I was forced to have to speak up and direct. Directing and dancing on stage has definitely changed my Stuyvesant career. If I didn’t do that, I would be a completely different person.

What do you love the most about Latin?

The community of it, not so much the dance itself. Though it’s very awkward at first for people to hold hands with each other since they are basically strangers, by the end of it, all of us know each other, and we’re all goofing around. When people ask me about it, I always rave about it because I love what I’ve done. It’s not just for me, but also for everyone who joined the crew even though they may have not stayed. For anyone who’s in it, it becomes a family through dancing. Though I’m very harsh on people sometimes, they do understand that it’s for the performance.

What’s the most stressful thing to handle while directing Latin?

For SING! specifically, it’s having to interact with other crews, like costumes and makeup. With SING!, you can’t just wear whatever you want; it always has to pertain to the plot. There are so many components to it that aren’t just controlled by you but by other directors who have their own things to do. Though it’s the most stressful, it’s also the most fun because you get to meet other people through that.

What do you do specifically as a Latin director?

I pair crew members first based on height and experience. Some people are more experienced than others, so I tend to mix it up. I try to have one experienced person with one who has never done Latin before.

I have tryouts, even though for the most part, [Latin is] usually no cut like it is for Stuy Squad. But for SING!, I have to cut people just because it’s very restrained.

In terms of teaching, I make all the choreo. I try to make most of it before SING! actually starts. Usually, we have a week or two between being accepted as director and actually holding tryouts, so I make most of [the choreography] then and afterwards, make a few alterations here and there. I try to make [the choreography] simple but also very presentable, like a stage performance. I teach for the first third of [the season]. Then, I clean and drill for the next two-thirds. Most people have never done Latin before, so I work on techniques, such as arms and placement.

I always open up my free periods to make sure everyone learns it, and I always set up deadlines. If they aren’t showing up at all, I will have to cut them because it’s unfair to the other crew members.

About how much of the people in your crew have done Latin for the previous consecutive years?

As for my entire crew this year for Senior SING!, I’ve worked with each and every one of them beforehand, either through Stuy Squad or SING!. Most of the people who join tend to come back. My junior year’s Stuy Squad was my biggest crew (around thirty people), and half of them came back to it. A lot of [other] people are just busy. Some people just try it, and totally get that. A lot of people in my Senior SING! Crew joined Latin sophomore or junior year, and they’ve just been sticking around with it. It’s always nice to see the same people. It’s like working with friends but knowing that you have to be serious at times.

Would you say your crew is a family?

Yes, definitely. I would have never met a lot of them if I didn’t direct. I would just know them as a classmate. With latin, I hang out with them outside of school and during my free periods. I’ve always relied on them for things. We always talk to each other about everything. We’re definitely a tight group of people.

Astrid Malter, Junior SING! Stage Director and Scriptwriter

What does Stage do specifically?

Stage is responsible for making sure that everything goes smoothly during the show. We’re primarily responsible for lights & sound cues. We tell the people in the lights & sound crew when to change the lights, when to put on spotlights, and what mics to turn on and off. We use special effects, like fog. We also tell Tech crew when to put out certain equipment or pianos. During [the performance], we bring the dance crews to the stage before it’s their time to perform.

Tell me about your past experience in stage. What inspired you to direct?

I did Stage starting freshman year for SING!, and I’ve been doing Stage ever since. I was just [responsible for] dance crews, but I liked it a lot because I’m not really an actor. I wish I could be a performer, so I still want to be as involved as I can, and stage is a really good place for me to do that. It’s a really special experience watching the show every night, knowing it really well, and making sure that all the technical aspects of the show work well.

I wanted to direct because I love stage, and I wanted a bigger role in management. I also have a lot of experience, so I figured I could help teach people.

How is your experience different this year as a director?

There isn’t a huge difference, but there is a lot more responsibility being a director. You need to be active on Facebook often to get the order from higher ups and make sure that everyone in your crew knows what they’re doing. I also do administrative work like collecting OSIS numbers.

What do you love the most about stage crew? And what’s the most stressful?

They’re kind of the same thing. When I’m sitting backstage and need to give a cue like “turn on the spotlight now,” it either works perfectly or doesn’t. So if it looks great, I’m really happy, and I feel so good that I helped to make that, and it also helps the actors look good. It’s stressful if something doesn’t work out. It’s up to me and my crew to fix it. And when you’re running around backstage, you have to make a lot of split second decision.

How much is the commitment with being on Stage crew?

To quote John Green, “it’s kind of like falling asleep: slowly, then all at once.” You don’t really do that much in the first few weeks of SING!, but toward the end, you have to come in every day because we need to be there all the time working things out. And during shows, you need to be there every night, so you need to get familiar with the show. At the end, it’s a big commitment.

Definitely fewer people applied. Stage is unique in that we don’t need that many people, with fewer than 10 people every year. I want to accept as many people as possible, so when it’s hard for me to choose, it’s not because there are not enough [qualified] applicants, it’s more because I don’t want to say no to anyone because anyone can learn how to do it, and most people can do a good job. So I feel bad because I don’t want to reject people. It’s just that we don’t need that many people.

You shifting to being a scriptwriter; what inspired you to apply for the position?

I was a scriptwriter last year, but I liked it because you have so much creative control, and that’s what I’m most interested in regarding SING!: building something from scratch. I just think that’s amazing, and it’s really fun to be with a group of people who are so creative. And I want to work on being a better writer because one day, I hope to be some sort of creative writer.

What other creative writing experiences do you have?

I love English class, so this year, I’m taking AP Contemporaries & Classics with Mr. Garfinkel, and in that class, we have a lot of opportunities for creative writing. And this year, I’m also in this creative writing workshop that’s after school for six weeks at the Brooklyn Public Library on the theme of obsessions. That’s a workshop on how to create characters, how to make a plot, and funny dialogue.

How has your experience being a scriptwriter and stage director shaped your overall Stuyvesant experience and person?

Doing stage has been the best part of my Stuyvesant experience because when I came to Stuy, and I sometimes still feel like this, that I don’t really have a niche. There’s not one area where I feel like it’s just me. I’m not saying that you have to be unique, but I definitely struggled with that at Stuyvesant. And the theater is a place where I can relax and focus on something that’s not related to schoolwork. So when I’m backstage, I’m really worrying about what’s in front of me, and it’s also creative, and I just really like that. And being a writer has been a really great opportunity for me to work with other people and to create something new.

It’s exciting to be involved in writing because it’s pre-production, and it’s fun to be in stage because it’s production, so I get to see I contributed to something. And I’m glad I did both because last year, I was only a writer and the year before that, I was only in Stage. It just makes SING! feel a lot more complete. Now that I’m doing Stage and it’s the night before the show, I can see how far the show has come.

Mohammad Jawwad, Junior SING! Costumes Director

What does costumes do specifically, as in the work behind the scenes?

We take body measurements, buy materials, cut and pattern them, and hem them.

What sparked your interest in joining Costumes as a member last year and directing the crew this year?

Costumes wasn’t initially a thing that I wanted to do. I got pity-accepted into it because my friend was Costumes Director last year. I ended up being the person who did a lot of work. This year, Ruby [the coordinator] came to me and said, “We really need a costumes director, so could you please sign up?” and I really needed a leadership position.

What do you love most about Costumes?

The best thing in costumes, and also the worst thing, is when you work with other crews because you actually get new, different personalities. Every single year, different people come, so you never get accustomed to it. It's really good for when you have social anxiety like me. Costumes builds this confidence in people. So that’s definitely one of the reasons why I keep coming back to it.

People come in not knowing how to sew, and when they leave, they could buy a sewing machine and sew their own clothes. You just get thrown into using sewing machines and become accustomed to it. And that’s what I like the most; it’s a hands-on learning environment. There’s a deadline, of course. It’s really pressuring, but the payoff and social aspects are really good.

What do you find the most stressful about directing Costumes?

This year, it’s been very difficult to buy material because the Slate and administration said that we have to get everything pre-approved. So we have to go somewhere, not buy anything, get it signed, and then buy it. It’s been annoying for people who need to buy stuff, especially when you have a very small crew of eight people. And it’s sad that people who came in wanting to do fun things besides sewing, like splattering paint, won’t get that option because we don’t have time for it.

Last year, we had a good 40 people, then it cut down to 20, and then people just became lazy. They saw our directors not going crazy about attendance and took advantage of it, which is what I’m trying to prevent this year. But there’s only so much you can do with SAT’s coming up, and you have to understand that there are priorities for these [crew members], so you can’t do much.

As a non-performing design crew, to what extent do you feel under-recognized for your work? How much is the pressure to maintain a good reputation for costumes?

We’re not as underappreciated as some crews that are physically backstage during the show, such as tech and lights & sound, are. But there is a lot of pressure because the Spectator article about SING! defines the reputation of a crew. There was a whole section about what the costumes look like and the writer’s opinion. Last year, there was misinformation. We were accused of making costumes that weren't delegated to us, and the student body believed it until we had to individually state otherwise, and that’s a lot of pressure to build up from.

How do you work your way around a small number of busy people to make things more efficient?

I have had 12 spreadsheets open every single night that range from budgeting to attendance. I’m really hard on attendance. If a crew member cuts twice, they’re going to be cut from the show. Even though we need people, I need to instill fear among them. I hate being this military dictator, but it’s going to have to be like this.

For those few people that were interested in joining costumes, what do you think got them interested in joining?

Marketing. Also, people wanted to learn how to sew. In the [Costumes crew] application form, a lot of members said that they didn’t know how to sew. And we made it a no-cut crew, which appealed to a lot of people. Some had friends that were in the crew. I tried to get most of my friends in, and most of them stayed in. And other people want to see something they created and be proud of what they did.

What motivated them to want to stay committed?

For the last eight members that I have, they’re here to see SING! happen, and if it doesn’t happen, they want to blow the show away with at least the costumes they slaved over. Their will is what keeps them going for it. They put in the work, and I’m really proud of them for coming in every single day. It brings tears to my eyes. There are people who don’t care about how costumes work; there are people who spend so much time on costumes, knowing that it might not be the year that we win, but willing to go on. And it’s inspiring because they want to see the costumes they made on stage and point out, “That is what I did. That is my signature in SING!. That is my essence in Stuy. It’s a legacy of what I have done.”

Lumi Westerlund, Junior SING! Tap Director

What do you love the most about directing tap?

I like the fact that everyone in the crew currently has never tapped before, but a lot of them now really love tap. A lot of them keep coming back because they enjoy it so much. It makes me really happy because I’ve been tap dancing for years and I love it, but these people have never tapped danced before, and they love it too. That I’m able to share with them something that I love so much makes me really happy.

Is it difficult to teach those with no prior tap experience? How do you accommodate this?

It is difficult because tap isn’t like other crews. In belly, people see that you body roll and get the jist of it. But in tap, if you look at it, it doesn’t tell you how to do it. So it’s hard to teach people from the beginning.

First, I teach them the general steps. Then, as I choreograph the dance, I try to include as many of the general steps as possible so that beginners could learn it easily, and I teach them part by part to make it easier.

Tell me about your dance experience before and in Stuyvesant.

I did a lot of random dances before I came to Stuy. I tap danced when I was six, then took ballet and modern for a few years. By the time I was 11, I started tap dancing again. And I just took tap classes until I got to Stuy, and I was like “ I don’t have time for the classes anymore.” Luckily, there was this dance culture at Stuy that I could be a part of.

During freshman year, I was in Stuy Squad with Leila and Maiko as directors. During SING!, I co-directed with Leila, and I continued to do tap [for SING! and Stuy Squad]. I directed SING! pretty much for three years. I only didn’t do tap for the first time during Stuy Squad this year because I was directing step for the first time.

Why do you prefer tap over other dances, such as ballet and modern?

I did ballet and modern in fifth and six grade, so that wasn’t a big part of my life. I definitely enjoyed tap a lot more because I feel like for ballet, you’re really conformed to do one thing. With modern, you could be open but you can’t be as loud. I just love the fact that I can be really loud. Also, you can tap dance while you are walking or sitting.

How do you think tap has shaped your Stuyvesant experience and person?

It made me a lot more confident. In freshman year, when I first joined Stuy Squad tap, I was very shy and nervous. Now, being director just makes me a lot more confident. I’ve made a lot of friends through tap. I like talking to people in classes like, “Oh, hey! You should join tap!” even though I don’t know them. And they actually come, and I’ll be like, “Oh, great!” and we become good friends because they do tap. I didn’t really know most of the people in tap before they joined.

Since not many people tried out this year, did you accept everyone into your crew?

Yeah. I was planning to accept everyone. I knew no one was going to try out since it’s junior year and last year, we were able to make cuts. We made a few and then people proceeded to quit. And that was annoying because we cut some people to accept these people, and they quit. So this year, I decided to just accept everyone, which I’m glad I did because a lot of people realized that they didn’t have time. So the crew got really small.

How do you work your way around the busy schedules, such as SAT prep, of crew members?

It’s hard. In order for us to have group practices or to make any noise, every single person needs to be there because there are six people. But that rarely happens because of SAT prep. I make them learn the steps and post videos online to make sure that everyone is together even though we aren’t practicing together, so that it works out when we all come together.

What’s the most stressful about directing tap?

Tap is usually not stressful for me because I usually have Jessica Park or someone else directing with me. If I have something to do, that’s fine because they’ll be there. But this year, if I had something to do such as prep, we couldn’t have practice. So what we tried to do was have practice anytime. My crew would come in and practice without me, which worked for the most part, but they had some trouble learning new steps. So they just rehearsed old steps, which would make us fall behind if I wasn’t there.

What changes would you want to see in tap?

Next year, I hope to have a co-directors. I hope that tap gets bigger since it’ll be senior year, and a lot of people want to try it. I feel like a lot of people see tap as for girls or boring, but I want people to realize that it’s not, and that anyone can join. I really hope that next year, many people join and we have tons of directors. Our crew could be loud, and we could teach the choreo earlier and have more time to drill. This year, I had to teach it all by myself, and I never got a break. [Teaching my own choreo] was fun, but it also got very repetitive because we had a lot of shuffles. I did have a lot of freedom, but at the same time, there were times when I couldn’t think of anything, and my mind went blank.