This year, the McClintock Fine Arts program took on a challenging show in preparation for the annual winter musical performance, which takes place on Jan. 22-24.

The musical, “Hello, Dolly!,” which centers around a widowed matchmaker who is looking to remarry, involves a large number of students, including cast, orchestra pit, and crew. The cast began rehearsals at the end of October, and will rehearse for a total of 11 school weeks, as well as some Saturdays.

Rehearsals focus on singing, dancing, blocking scenes, or running through an act or the whole show.

“We feel confident in our blocking; we all have a lot of energy,” senior Jenna Thrush said after several weeks of rehearsal.

In addition to having to learn and memorize numerous songs and dances, the cast faces other challenges.

“Getting into my character has been really hard; having as much energy as my character needs has been interesting,” Thrush (who plays Minnie Fay) said.

Perhaps one of the most complicated parts of the rehearsal process was combining the pit with the dialogue and musical numbers of the show.

“Coordinating what’s happening on stage and [the pit] is very difficult,” senior violist Mira Theilmann said.

Getting to the point where the tempo of the orchestra matches that of the singers on stage takes some time, but the students know how to handle it.

“As long as we all watch each other, it will go well. Plus, Mrs. Press [the conductor] has the glow-in-the-dark baton now,” Theilmann said.

Once the cast and pit have become accustomed to working together, the crew is thrown into the mix. Some crew members move and manage props, some work lighting and sound, and others organize makeup, hair, and costumes.

“I am in charge of the technical, so I take care of all the sound and visual,” senior Zane Petiford said.

Petiford has worked on crew for all four musicals, as well as many other shows, during his time at McClintock.

“The most fun part of being in the crew, besides getting to hang out with my friends and the work is really fun; I enjoy what I do,” Petiford said.