Every year, the Good Counsel Theatre Company (GCTC) presents an amazing and eagerly awaited musical in the spring! This year, GCTC produced their production of Tuck Everlasting. While being part of a show is a meaningful joint effort between those working on stage and behind the scenes, each student involved walks away with their own unique experiences and memories. The Talon interviewed several members of the cast and crew to illustrate what the behind-the-scenes processes look like both  creatively and emotionally for those involved.

Natalie DeKowzan ‘27 (Ensemble)

What was your experience like being a part of your first GCTC show? 

My first experience was amazing. I loved meeting everyone and performing on stage. The thing I will remember the most about this show is all the friends I have made throughout this experience. I have been a part of GCTC for a year and my favorite thing about it is the community. 

What will you remember most from this show? 

I have met so many amazing people because of this show and I am so grateful. I will continue to do GCTC next year and I would like to be a dancer on stage. 

Cecilia Cantarilho ‘24 (Costumes Crew, Chief) 

What was your inspiration for costumes for this show? 

My inspiration for the costumes was the movie, book, and musical; however, Mrs. Hoag, Taylor, and I got a sense of what we wanted to do from late 1800 fashion. We looked through looks of fashion books, Pinterest, and other versions of the show to fully understand and create the best costumes possible. We wanted a lot of flowy dresses and skirts for the women and fun-colored waistcoats for the men. Almost everyone had boots to dance in and some gold accessory for “Everything’s Golden”. 

What is the process like when putting the costumes together?

We started this whole process by measuring every cast member so that we could find costumes that would fit them perfectly and make them feel comfortable. After that, we pulled everything we could potentially need for the show from Good Counsel’s costume shop and another one Mrs. Hoag is a part of. Once everyone had at least one base costume, we would add different accessories or more costumes for that particular person to fit the scene. A new waistcoat, sash, hat, or some golden accessories can change a look and make it look completely different. 

What do you like most about being a part of a costume crew?

My favorite parts about being in a costume crew are meeting new people, creating memories, and being a part of something wonderful and unique. As a senior, one of my goals was to create a more welcoming environment for all the students in theater, especially the first- and second-year students who may feel scared or out of place. My favorite memory of being in the costume crew this year was during Anne Frank, when Mrs. Hoag, Taylor, and I had to do all the quick changes in the WC (water closet). The stage and quick change process was so fantastic and unique to be a part of. Being a part of the costume crew and being a chief this year has allowed me to become closer to my crew and help everyone feel absolutely perfect and look fantastic in their costumes.

Emma Feeney ‘24 (Cast: Winnie Foster) 

What will you remember most about this show?

What I will remember most about this show is the people it brought me and the lessons it taught me. Through this show I bonded with my now best friends, Logan, Jamison, Chris, and Ethan who play the Tuck Family in the show. They were there for me every step of the way during the rehearsal process and I’ll forever be grateful for their support and kindness! This show taught me the importance of staying in the moment and counting your blessings. Life really is the greatest wonder on earth. Tuck reminded me of how lucky we all are to be on the wheel, to be able to go through the beauty of life! I need to slow down, take a breath, and be grateful for every little thing that life brings!

What was it like seeing the show come together (including sound, dress rehearsals, etc)?

Seeing the show come to life was so incredible to witness- and it all happened so fast! It was honestly a pretty emotional experience seeing it all just perfectly fall into place. When I heard the orchestra play for the first time during Sitzprobe I was in awe! Being in costume on that stage with the beautiful sets and props and the bright lights really made a huge difference. I felt my understanding of Winnie really click as soon as all of the tech elements came together! Tech plays a pivotal part of making theatre so impactful and beautiful. 

Teddy Howard ‘24 (Set Construction Crew)

What was the hardest part of the set to build and why? 

The hardest part of this set was just all of the moving parts. If you look at some of the other shows a lot of the set was stationary, for this one a lot had to move and were huge. So, making sure sizes were all exact and making it fit in and move was the hardest part of this set. 

Did this show feel any different being your last? If yes, how so? 

Yes, this show felt different. Both shows Diary of Ann Frank and Tuck Everlasting had a little extra emotion to it knowing it was the end. It honestly didn’t hit until closing night where I realized I was done with theater and my time with the GCTC was over. 

Ryka Dandeker ‘24 (Dance Ensemble and GC Dance Captain)

What inspired the choreography for this show?

I did not choreograph the musical, so to avoid speaking for the choreographer, I’ll mention some inspiration that was given to the cast to guide our execution of the choreography. A concept that came up a lot while learning choreography for Tuck Everlasting was “playing with your friend in the woods”. This image was used a lot over our 3 months of rehearsals, and it helped us demonstrate the childlike joy, simplicity, and innocence we sought to portray in Act 1 of the musical.  

What do you like most about dancing in GCTC shows?

My favorite part about dancing in GCTC shows is definitely the community. GC theatre brings together so many amazing people that I don’t usually see during my day-to-day life. Some of my favorite friendships are with people I probably wouldn’t have met without this company. The GCTC community is so fun, loving, and welcoming, and I’m beyond grateful to have been a part of something so beautiful. 

Chris Patiag ‘24 (Cast: Miles Tuck) 

Did you do anything in particular to prepare for your role as Miles?

In preparation for both my audition and the show, I followed a very elaborate process to learn the music for Miles, specifically his solo “Time.” When I was first listening to the Broadway cast recording, “Time” was one of the first songs I heard, and I instantly fell in love with it. I immediately looked up the role that sang it and decided then and there that it was the role I wanted to audition for. Per both my love for the song and preparation for auditions, I dug up a (pirated) copy of the sheet music and learned it on the piano. It seems a little obsessive, I know, but it paid off because knowing how to play the song gave me so much control while practicing it, and I eventually got the role! Then, during the rehearsal process, I had a closer look at the vocal part in the sheet music and realized it had many little differences from the way Robert Lenzi, the original Broadway Miles, sang it in the cast recording. I love his rendition so much, but I took this as a challenge to personalize my own rendition of the song with my own inflections instead of just inheriting Lenzi’s. I started to practice the way the song was written per the sheet music so strictly and so frequently that I disconnected myself from Lenzi’s cadence. Then, when we started rehearsing the song, I added my own little riffs and rhythmic changes to personalize it. Frankly, this is how we’re supposed to learn our music, but I’ll admit on behalf of the cast, sticking to what we hear in the cast recording is so incredibly easy and reliable. I just felt compelled to truly make my rendition of “Time” special to me, and according to people’s feedback, it seems to have worked!

What is your favorite moment from preparing for this show?

My favorite moment in preparing for the show is definitely working with Everett, who played Miles’s son Thomas in “Time.” Honestly, I usually dread working with children, but maybe my paternal instincts kicked in because I was so excited to work with Everett. I guess I was involuntarily method acting if you will. He is also genuinely a great actor; I’m not kidding when I say I’m very surprised he’s never done theatre before. He brought great acting choices and suggestions that made their way into the final version that we performed on the stage. That kid better do more theatre in the future. I also really loved the father-son bonding moments I’ve spent with him, like when I brought my Switch one day and let him play Minecraft while we were waiting to go onstage for “Time.” I guess that isn’t a great example of preparation for the show, but it really did feel like such a sweet moment that got me into character. I already miss working with him, but I hope he gets the recognition he deserves for making “Time” what it became.

We’d like to congratulate GCTC on such a successful and enjoyable show! The dedication from our cast, crew, pit, and mentors was truly evident and made the show so special. We look forward to what GCTC does next and ask for your continued support!