Lights! Camera! Action! The Gauntlet took a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this year’s all-school spring musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific.

Mr. Preston Boyd, head of the Drama Department, said that South Pacific was selected because it had a variety of themes.

“It is considered a romantic comedy, but there is a huge undertone that deals with diversity and acceptance and racial profiling,” he said.

Lower, Intermediate and Upper School teacher Mr. Jamie Marshall said the musical reflected the school’s global education initiative.

“We chose it because it has great music and a wonderful story that gives a historical perspective on a time when we were not so advanced as a society, in terms of race relations. The themes of the show fit Saint Stephen’s Global Education initiatives perfectly,” he said.

Mrs. Jeanine Elisha, an Intermediate School teacher who is in charge of choreographing the musicals, said that she, Marshall, and Boyd had been thinking about doing South Pacific for a while.

“Fortunately, no one else in the area was doing it, so we were able to,” she said.

South Pacific tells the story of a World War II nurse who is stationed to care for soldiers on an island in the Pacific. She falls in love with a French plantation owner before being made aware of his troubled past.

“I think this is a really educational experience for people to learn about how prejudiced people were back then,” Boyd said.

Elisha said one of the most difficult parts of the process was casting.

“It’s really hard to go to the auditions and try to pick and choose which people to use,” she said.

Boyd agreed that numbers were a big issue when it came to casting.

“We had about 130 people try out to be in the play, and we cast about 103 people, so it will be a challenge to work with such a large number,” he said.

Marshall said getting kids from ages four to 18 was an interesting process.

“It helps when you have Upper School students who are great working with the little ones. Some years work better than others.” He said, “This year’s group of Upper School students are exceptional in terms of their respect and friendliness to other divisions.”

Boyd said that while it was difficult to decide who to cast, they were fortunate to have so much interest.

“This year we were really lucky. We have a lot of boys and girls who are interested in acting, so we were able to select a script with more equal parts. We have some really talented singers, dancers and actors,” he said.

Elisha said another challenge was beginning the creative process.

“Listening to the music and trying to come up with the choreography is definitely difficult, but I really enjoy it. It’s so fun to have the opportunity to work with the kids and get creative,” she said.

Building sets for every scene is yet another hurdle to cross, Boyd said.

“There are scenes that take place on the plantation, on the beach, in the nurses’ quarters and even on a nearby island,” he said. “Building sets for so many different scenes will definitely be a challenge.”

Despite all the challenges that the cast, crew, directors and choreographers face, Boyd said by the final week of rehearsals, everything starts to fall into place.

“The rehearsal process is slow. It usually takes a while for people to learn their lines and learn the choreography, and it’s sometimes frustrating.” He said, “But during that last week when everything is coming together, it all starts to look like magic.”

Marshall said it was exciting to watch the students form close bonds with each other during the process.

“My favorite part of the process is being witness to the bonds and friendships that are formed between students of all divisions, all done through the common goal of putting together a first-class musical production. It is a remarkable process,” he said.

Elisha agreed that the show itself, which will be performed on March 15^th-18^th, is the most exciting part.

“It’s so fun to see the music and the dancing and the lines and the chemistry of the cast all come together.” She said, “Being there at the end and watching the kids put it all together and radiate on stage is really the best part.”