What’s recently happened?
On Sunday, October 1, Marquette Catholic High School held its first annual mattress sale. This one-day fundraiser was held to support the Marquette Music Department. Items sold during this fundraiser were not limited to mattresses, however - the top selling items at this sale were giant bean bag chairs, pillows, and sheets.
This mattress sale was only a piece in the bigger plans the Marquette Music Department has for this school year. This fundraiser was organized to help support students on their trip to Washington, D.C., which will take place later this year.
The Marquette Music Department was invited to sing in the 80th Anniversary Celebration of D-Day, which will be taking place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day weekend. They will be accompanying the U.S. Air Force Orchestra.
What’s coming up?
Rehearsals for Marquette’s fall production have officially picked up. The Marquette Drama Department is preparing to put on a production of “The Con,” a play written by Tracy Wells.
“The Con” is a mystery that is set at a comic-con, centered around an extremely rare, mint condition comic book that is highly coveted. It is a mysterious comedy that features many different real life fandoms.
“‘The Con’ is hilarious to the point that I’m struggling to get out my line because I’m laughing so hard,” said Lead Actor Santiago Velez.
There are events planned to lead up to the Saturday and Sunday showings of “The Con.” On Saturday, Marquette is planning to host a small-scale comic-con with local fandom artists and comic book stores as well as photo ops with character look-alikes. On Sunday, the department is hoping to have a hero and princess tea with snacks, photo ops and souvenirs.
“The Con” is set for its opening night on November 10 at 7 p.m. There will be a Saturday night performance, also at 7 p.m., and there will be a Sunday matinee, starting at 4 p.m.
Staff spotlight:
Amy Crane is the theatre director at Marquette.
Crane has worked at Marquette for 24 years, having started straight out of college. She teaches performing arts classes, such as Chorus and Theatre Appreciation, as well as a few English classes.
Crane has been planning to be a theatre teacher since she first began acting. She has wanted to teach theatre at Marquette since she was in high school, and learned that the school did not have a theatre department.
“These people were just as talented as I am, they loved theatre just as much as I do, but they didn’t have an outlet at their school. I said, ‘I’m going to go, I’m going to get my theatre teaching degree, and I’m going to come back to Marquette to be the theatre teacher,’” Crane said.
Crane has been an actress since she was in high school, and she still enjoys acting today. She does plays and musicals with local theatre companies in Michigan City.
“I enjoy doing it because of the joy that it brings other people,” Crane said. “I just really like entertaining people.”
More than acting, Crane enjoys teaching theatre. She loves to create a space for young actors to learn and grow in their talents and abilities.
“I like seeing the first time my students see a standing ovation. I like how they light up on stage the first time they get that big laugh from something that they did,” said Crane.
Crane encourages everyone to get out there and try everything that they can. She is a huge supporter of trying every sport or activity that high school has to offer, and hopes students to experiment and find what they enjoy and are good at.
“Do everything you possibly, physically can. This is the time to try it all. Do the things that you’ve always wanted to do. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best at it; if you enjoy it, then you should go out and do it,” Crane said.
She is currently directing Marquette’s production of “The Con.”
Student spotlight:
Santiago Velez is a junior starring in Marquette’s production of “The Con.”
Velez made his high school theatre debut in Marquette’s production of “Paper or Plastic” last November as a greenie. Before that, he performed in the Marquette production of “Seussical: The Musical” when he was in fifth grade, playing a Who. In the upcoming production of “The Con,” he will play his first lead role.
“I’m super excited to have more than 10 lines,” said Velez.
Velez enjoys theatre because of the tight-knit community created through putting on productions together. He enjoys all of the little funny moments with his fellow cast members, such as singing in the boys dressing room. He enjoys being around people who enjoy the things that he enjoys.
Along with theatre, Velez is also the student body treasurer.
“My best advice for underclassmen is to find something that interests you and just go for it. There’s no better time to start something than right now,” he said.