When junior Zoe Healey heard that the spring musical Mary Poppins would be using rented set pieces rather than building everything from scratch, she thought her job as set designer would be easier.
But when the large pieces—including a house, a kitchen and bedroom—arrived she faced a huge challenge. “We didn’t get any instructions, only pictures. So it’s like one huge messed-up IKEA puzzle that we’ve had to figure out ourselves,” Healey said.
Touring sets are designed to last for years and withstand outdoor performances, which means everything is built with thick, heavy wood. Some of the flying pieces weigh close to 200 pounds.
“We all have to get in an assembly line and drag it onto the stage,” Healey said. “Then we hook aircraft cables and swing it up into the sky on the rig.”
Having the tech crews size, paint and move the sets is only a part of the job. Set designers also must create cue sheets to keep track of exactly when and where each piece moves. For a show with over 50 ensemble members, one wrong move can be dangerous.
“It’s very stressful,” said Healey, who worked every day on the set during their free period, constantly thinking about what needed fixing.
What makes this show especially different is its scale and complexity, including planning for the main character, Mary Poppins, to fly on stage. Director Jaclyn Stickel hired trained professionals to ensure safety, especially while the two actors playing Mary Poppins (seniors Isa Calvo and Zoe McLaughlin) were secured to the rigging system used to mechanically hoist the characters several feet above the stage floor.
“We had a trainer named Jason who made sure everything was secure and that we felt comfortable,” McLaughlin said. “Only trained people can work the rigs.”
Both actresses agree that playing Mary Poppins comes with challenges, especially the flying sequences. “It’s scary,” Calvo said. “It’s fun because you get to fly, but we’re a solid 30 feet up.”
Despite the pressure, both seniors say the experience has been unforgettable. Calvo and McLaughlin are sharing the lead role; each is scheduled to play Mary Poppins for three performances. But for Calvo, McLaughlin and their close friend Gracie Holbrook, this production is more than just another show, it’s a goodbye.
“It’s really sad that this is our last show together,” Calvo said. “But I’m also really happy that we get to finish it by doing something like this.”
For McLaughlin it’s the final chapter of a story they’ve been writing together since childhood. “It’s so much fun getting to be a senior with Isa and Gracie. We’ve all been close for a long time. We’ve grown up together from elementary school through high school, and getting to finish it off together on stage is really special,” she said.
This is Holbrook’s first lead role in an FUHS production. Her character, Winfred Banks, is mother to Jane and Michael. As Winfred, Holbrook conveys complexity ranging from feeling overwhelmed to being determined to be a model wife. Holbrook has had to overcome the challenge of playing a mother and wife from 1910.
“As a seventeen year old, playing somebody who’s in her late thirties early forties is hard. It’s challenging to get into that headspace and also playing a mother, it’s kind of hard to know what that’s like,” Holbrook said.
Playing opposite Holbrook is senior Nolen Suddeth as Winfred’s husband George Banks, who experiences a major transformation throughout the show.
“At the beginning, he’s very precise and orderly,” Suddeth said. “But by the end, he starts letting go of that and remembering what it was like to be a kid.”
Senior Isabel Calvo will play Mary Poppins on Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Senior Zoe McLaughlin will play the role of Mary Poppins on Friday, March 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at fuhs.booktix.com. General admission is $16. Students are $12. All shows will be performed in the Fullerton Auditorium.
