Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes, literally, of your favorite UMass Amherst theater production? The students of Theater 110 are eager to work outside of the spotlight and make sure that everything comes together perfectly.

Theater 110 is a one credit course where the students help a show run smoothly, and be an enjoyment for every guest and cast member. This gives the students an experience other than just performing on stage. It can make an actor or actress appreciate all of the people that work behind the scenes and help them do what they need to do.

Each theater major at UMass Amherst, must take this class, not only once, but three times before graduation. This course shows every student what it takes to run a show, and how all of the things that are a mystery to the show’s audience, come to happen.

The students are divided into “crews and each given specific jobs to do backstage. The deck crew is assigned the job of moving and building set pieces, make up and costume crews are in charge of making each of the actors look the part and repairing any damages.

All of these students work very hard and put in many hours out of their already busy student schedules in order to make the production run smoothly.

The university of Massachusetts held auditions on September 13^th and 14^th for their two upcoming productions. Many hopeful students showed up to show off their talents and

possibly get a chance to perform in an upcoming show. “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn will be the musical production. This show first appeared on Broadway on May 2^nd, 2005. It is the story of six teenagers competing in a spelling bee and going through the hardships of adolescence. The show won two Tony Awards in 2006 for both best book of a musical and best featured actor.

The audience will be very interactive in this show and it is sure to get a lot of laughs. The performance will be held In the Rand Theatre right here on the UMass campus, on Dec. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.


Come out and support a sure-to-be talented but small cast! Your fellow students will be performing and are looking to give all audience members a show that they can enjoy!