Last weekend Hernando High School Theater took to the skies with their production of Catch Me if You Can. The director, Lauren Suddoth, chose this production last spring with auditions happening before the school year let out. Senior, Kage Cliburn, is the star of the show playing “Frank Abagnale” while Junior, Beckett Ivy co-stars as “Carl Hanratty”. Suddoth chose this specific musical to show off her actors’ skills.
“I just thought everyone in the department now had gotten to a point where they were ready to portray real people and dive into that whole acting aspect,” Suddoth stated. Catch Me if You Can is based on a true story which makes it different from the fantasy and fairy tale shows of last year. Suddoth continued, “It was a good mix I think because there is a lot of dancing, a lot of singing, and some really catchy music. So they got to do the whole real life character.”
The story takes place in New York during the 1960s. The plot revolves around a wealthy young boy who has to deal with his dad’s tax problems, so his family is forced to move to a smaller community. His parents then decide to divorce after his mother has an affair. After his parents divorce, he is forced to choose between the two. Instead of choosing, he runs away and attempts to start his own life by living as a con artist and partaking in various scams. Frank’s first con is to disguise himself as a pilot and forge the airline’s payroll checks.
Suddoth stated that choosing the cast is difficult for her because everyone is unique in their own way. She continued saying when casting her shows, she’s looking for a triple threat, someone who can do all of the essentials such as acting, dancing, and singing.
“They need to be able to use these songs to tell the audience the background, what is going on inside their head and how to move forward,” Suddoth stated.
The type of set Suddoth used for this production is what is known as a unit set. A unit set is a single set that doesn’t take much time to rearrange, and instead is filled with multiple different blocks and items that can modified to form a new scene. In the opening act of the play, the scenic background gives that 60s feeling which was made by using the unit set building blocks. It is useful and mainly used when there is a bunch of scene changes in the play that is being performed.
“Typically if you do a unit set, you can do a lot of creative things with it. So for instance if you come see the show you will see that it’s sort of a sixties feel with all different kinds of shapes and colors,” Suddoth noted as to why she enjoys using unit sets in her shows.
The Wardrobe Suddoth designed for this play was based on the uprising 1960’s. She bases all of her cast’s wardrobe on what the time setting of the production is. Suddoth makes sure every detail is matched, that everything is in its exact place, and is precise about her work .
The musical hired a virtual choreographer based in New York, actress Erica Wortham, who provides the choreography for the actors. The cast then is taught the choreography by two of Suddoth’s seniors. Then they are recorded dancing, and the video gets sent to Wortham for feedback.
Suddoth also needs crew members to make her show become a reality. The crew does various things such as helping actors with their costumes, set changes, and more. The stage crew consists of jobs like moving set pieces, taking care of props, and helping with costume changes. Some crew members like to come during practice and help prepare for the show by painting the props, building the set, and helping sew costumes. Suddoth normally works with the light crew to make sure everything is perfect so everyone is enjoying the show.
Suddoth is already planning next spring’s show. However, before she makes a final decision, she wants the cast and audience’s opinion. On the back of the Catch Me if You Can program, there is a QR code link that will direct audience members to a quiz. She uses these quizzes to find her next potential program that everyone will enjoy!!
The remaining performances are this weekend in Hernando’s H-pac.
