By Bella Holt and Grace Whitworth-Neufeld, Executive Editor and Contributing Writer |

On April 24, Winsor Theater’s production of Chicago opened before a roaring audience. The crowd watched as a story of deception, adultery, and murder unfurled before their eyes. Backstage, a different story was told: one of a community coming together.

Set in the Roaring ‘20s, Chicago follows two murderous felons as they manipulate their stories to reach fame. Its plot is based on a true story of highly publicized, female-perpetrated murders that swept the city of Chicago into a frenzy. Known for groundbreaking choreographer Bob Fosse’s stylized and sultry choreography, Chicago requires a lot of time, effort, and dedication to perfect. Devoting their after-school energy to two to four hours of dancing and singing, the Winsor cast–which included both of us–began rehearsing about three months ago in early February. 

Rehearsals were mostly led by Alyssa Tschirgi, who co-directed with Mr. Johnson while he directed a professional show. In the past, Ms. Tschirgi has been our choreographer–a role she continued even while directing the acting, coordinating lights, and leading the overall show. She explained, “It was a fun, wild experience to be the go-to person of authority.” Ms. Tschirgi also ensured that actors maintained their sanity: “Especially after spring break, I … [reminded] myself of the times that we could end rehearsal a little early or try to take small breaths…There’s definitely a risk of over-rehearsing.” 

Helina Adugna ’29 played the role of Mona Lipschitz, who murdered her boyfriend due to “artistic differences.” Adugna had a blast getting to connect with her character: “I think it was really fun to explore a character that is almost nothing like me…it pushed me to really act and not just pull on parts of myself that I’ve experienced before.” Additionally, Adugna explained that “the biggest part of the musical for me, especially with it being my first Winsor production, was actually getting to know people.” From our daily check-ins all the way to our last performance group huddle, the theater community knows how to build lasting bonds like no other.As actors in the show ourselves, we experienced these connections firsthand. In a sense, high school theater is like a sport: after months of training, hours of encouragement, and one final scrimmage, winning the game is certainly the goal, but the byproduct, inevitably, is a team.

Image Source: Luisa Griffth-Gorgati