The Pack Playhouse’s recent play, The Incomplete Life and Random Death of Molly Denholtz, was a heart-throbbing performance that brought tears to the eyes of the audience. The cast made this play something memorable as they once again put on an applause and flower-worthy performance.

But performances like these don’t just happen out of nowhere. The time dedication, effort and total commitment are things that the audience does not think about. 

Student actors practice for eight hours a week after school, then go home and do it again to get their lines down. From the hefty prices of just getting the rights to do the script, from the construction behind the scenes to make the play lively with setting and props, to the costumes for the roles of each character, the cost of performing is not cheap, either.

“It takes dedication, work ethic and sacrifice,” Taylor Lindsey, theater director, said. “It takes effort in every area and it takes heart. You have to be passionate about what you’re doing or else your audience won’t see it.”

Behind the curtains, the crew and cast are working on their lines, their set and their costumes, something audiences won’t know unless they ask or even just observe. Through the bond they create together while being with one another for so long and seeing their fellow thespians for four days a week and for eight to nine weeks, they grow into a family.

“The bond. The family. Like just being around so many people that want the same thing and care about each other,” senior Dylan Malone said. Malone has been a part of every production the Pack Playhouse has performed since he was a freshman. 

Putting on a production is more than just lines and lights: it’s the family that you create. The bond strengthens more when you spend so much time together as one truly brings the player out of the actors when they’re on stage with each other.

“We miss seeing each other every day and we grow that bond over a full eight or nine-week period, we grow close because you see them every day,” Malone said.  Being together through the hours of practice to then see each other glow in the light when the play is in action can be such a fulfilling moment. What truly stands out in a production? A common answer was family, 

There is so much that goes on behind the curtain and those challenges, hours and expenses, truly make up a show and an amazing group of people. If you missed this production of The Incomplete Life and Random Death of Molly Denholtz the playhouse will have another show, a one-act, 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, showing April 12-14.