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North’s Pit Orchestra
draws large numbers
during this year’s
production
Whether in the serious pro-
duction of “Les Miserables”
or even the current produc-
tion, “The Hunchback of
Notre Dame,” a pit orchestra
of some sort has always been
present.
Some years, other schools
in the district don’t have as
big of pit orchestra for their
musical, which is why stu-
dents who really want to play
occasionally participate in
North’s theatre productions.
Appleton West sophomore
Addie Jo Lambrecht said,
“Pit is important, because we
help to bring stage produc-
tion to life. Even though it
can be a very grueling time,
at the end, when we start
playing, it makes it worth my
time.”
Although the pit orchestra
doesn’t have to participate in
as many rehearsals as the cast
or crew, many members still
have to devote large amounts
of time in order to learn the
music and ensure that they
can produce a sound as great
as a professional pit orches-
tra.
So maybe the audience
can’t necessarily see the
pit during a performance,
but that doesn’t necessarily
mean that some magical fair-
ies are creating the music; in-
stead a group of 32 students
and a steadfast director, Mr.
Thaldorf, loyally persevere
throughout long rehearsals,
in hopes of making Appleton
North musicals as fantastic
as they currently are.
By Iris Hertting
The recent production of the
Hunchback of Notre Dame al-
lowed actors to find a deeper
level of meaning behind the
roles they played.
Maddy Schilling, a senior at
Appleton North, portrays Es-
meralda (Cast B)- the female
lead. She stresses what being
Esmeralda has meant to her, “I
don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed
a character as much as I enjoy
Esmeralda. She’s incredibly
selfless. She is compassion-
ate and yet very passionate
at the same time. She’s very
confrontational, not afraid to
stand up for what she believes
in. And essentially she’s ev-
erything that I wish I could be
because I like to stand up for
what I believe in but I’m not
as confrontational as she is
and I wish I could do that. So,
she’s kind of like an extension
of myself and I think delving
into this character a little bit
has actually helped me build
up my confidence in real life,
almost, which is something
that I’ve really enjoyed.”
Caroline Holmes, sopho-
more, also plays Esmeralda
(Cast A) and she too feels
strongly about the character.
“It’s really refreshing that she
is such a strong female lead.
A lot of times you’ll see a lot
of gender stereotypes in mu-
sicals with female characters.
But Esmeralda is very strong,
and she has this extremely ad-
mirable sense of selflessness.
So she is always fighting for
justice and risking her own
life for the needs of others,
which is really a quality that
I think we all can learn a lot
from.”
“The thing that I love most
about this musical is the rele-
vance of its message in a time
where there’s so much con-
flict and tension all around the
world, said Holmes, this mu-
sical does a great job show-
ing how love and acceptance
are the way to a fulfilled life.
It’s worth it to fight for justice
and stand up for what you be-
lieve in.”
FEATURES
Appleton, Wisconsin March 2017 Volume XXII
Issue V Page 5
North actors on their connections
to lead character Esmeralda
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Mr. Thaldorf leading the pit orchestra and choir during a musical
rehearsal
.
Photo by Catherine Mackenzie
Maddy Schilling rehearsing Rhythm of the Tambourine.
Photo by
Catherine Mackenzie
Caroline Holmes dancing center stage during a Cast A rehearsal of the Hunchback of Notre
Dame.
Photo by Catherine Mackenzie
Holmes, Schilling
appreciate her as
a strong female
character
By Fatima Ali
“Pit is an amazing experience
with wonderful people, and it really
captures the joy of being in a theater
production without having
to memorize any lines.”
- Silvia Knighten
Members of North’s pit orches-
tra rehearse for the show.
Pho-
to by Catherine Mackenzie
Caroline Holmes on stage in
costume as Esmeralda re-
hearses with her tambourine.
Photo by Catherine Mackenzie