The drama production is set for a new year.
The amount of people who have been involved in the drama and theater productions has increased throughout the years, with 60 students signing up for stage crew and 40 students who auditioned for the play.
Archbishop Riordan has garnered a lot of attention for the growth of its programs and student body over the past four years. The school is known for its focus on improving the life of students on campus, and with this in mind, the theater department can now boast of a new work space to build sets in the back of the theater.
Riordan continues to push for improvement for students in every program. They’ve built and improved the library, the cafeteria, new classrooms, and also new restrooms. Now there’s a brand new set construction workspace for the students involved in drama.
“We are so lucky to have one of the biggest theaters in San Francisco, but that means our sets need to be very large in order to fit the space and look substantial,” said Greg Callaghan, theater director and drama teacher.
Callaghan has been a mentor to the students, giving them the confidence to express themselves and their individual voices. That has made students love being a part of the drama department.
Students have been wanting to contribute and help construct sets. For this school year, they will work with Dave Lam, a set builder. They will work together to create sets for the upcoming productions of Clue in the fall and The Sound of Music in the spring.
“Having the ability to build, and or modify set pieces, gives us the flexibility to do more of a variety of sets, and gives us more options when planning our season.” Said Lam.
“I think the new sets are outstanding and really bring you into the atmosphere of the show,” said Paolo Caracciolo ’24. “And are definitely going to be fun to build.”
“Now that we have a dedicated work space backstage, it will make it much easier for students to help build the sets,” Callaghan said. “The lighting is nice and bright, and we installed a dust collection system so the saw dust doesn’t fly all over.”
The investment in building new sets is very expensive but will benefit future Crusaders who will be able to use the same sets decades into the future.
Callaghan said, “If we do our jobs correctly, no one will notice they’re recycled.”
