Richter’s article details exactly what goes into producing a musical at the high level that the Millikan performing arts departments put on. The article brings attention to the musical and spreads the word to the student population, which is always a benefit when writing an article of this nature. Even though the article is very useful, it spreads a great deal of misinformation about what goes on behind the scenes. The article wildly downplays the role that the teachers involved with the musical play. Not only do they handle the business aspects that come with producing a musical of this caliber, but they oversee every creative decision made and make many of these decisions themselves. I would’ve loved more description of the Play Production class. Play Production is split into different “crews” that each are tasked with a different job. The members of each crew are hand-selected by the head of the drama department the year prior and placed in the crew that best fits their skill set and passions. The way the article discusses the class leads the reader to believe that Play Production only plays a small role in the overall success in the musical, when in reality Play Production is in charge of sourcing the costumes, the props, the makeup, and marketing the show. This class works tirelessly and to undermine their efforts is a great disservice. Stage Crew is also a class that doesn’t require a year of theater. The quotes regarding stage crew would’ve held much more impact had they come from someone who was taking that class. The article also felt like it was lacking input from cast members. It would’ve brightened up the essay had there been a quote from “Elle Woods” about what work goes into leading an entire cast. Including actor testimonies would’ve helped many people outside of the theater world find more appreciation for the work done by the arts programs. Regardless of the inaccuracies, the essay is a very necessary step in the right direction for showing recognition for the arts programs that often go undervalued. What a fun read!

On January 29, 2024, Allyson Richter wrote an article titled “Lights, Camera, Legally Blonde!”. Richter initially begins her article by introducing Millikan’s yearly musical as Legally Blonde. This is extremely important because there tends to be confusion and miscommunication throughout the student body on what musical the school chooses. She then includes a quote from the Millikan drama teacher which establishes ethos. Her quote from a teacher who’s profession solely focuses on drama and acting gives her article credibility. The audiences of these amazing musicals never get to see the behind the scenes or which staff members have been putting in extra work to make the production as good as it is. With that being said, Richter’s article sheds light on all the amazing students and staff who don’t get the recognition they deserve just because they weren’t actors on the front stage.
My personal favorite feature of Richter’s well-written article is the use of a quote from one of Millikan’s own students. Her quote from a student references Millikan’s Stage Crew class that a majority of the student body doesn’t know much about. This quote is yet another informative feature of Richter’s article that helps readers know more about the works of Millikan Drama. Allyson Richter’s article clears many unanswered questions about the upcoming Legally Blonde musical.

This article beautifully highlights an amazing event happening soon at Millikan. Ritcher dives into the preparation of the production and elaborates on the efforts that are made backstage. Additionally, she includes a testimony from a student in the Play production class to make the article more relatable to the audience. She includes dates of when the musical will be premiering as well as previous dates of auditions and rehearsals indicating extensive preparation for the show. Although the article is about the musical coming soon, it would have been nice to know the show times on the premier dates in March. Furthermore, some background on the story of Legally Blonde would have been helpful to know as well. Even so, the article is a great way to bring attention to the upcoming show and bring awareness to all the work that has been poured into it.

On January 29th, 2024 Allyson Richter, Corydon’s feature editor, wrote an article called “ Lights, Camera, Legally Blonde!” Out of all of the articles I looked over, Allyson’s was definitely the most interesting and informative. The article served as a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to ensure our spring musicals run smoothly. This article also serves the purpose of getting people excited by our spring musical “Legally Blonde” where the mere mention of the title already has people hooked and ready to buy tickets. When talking about the work that goes into the play she didn’t just talk about the actors but also the combined force of the performing arts department and Millikan’s very own stage crew.
I truly do enjoy this article but their are some things that can help improve it. I feel like this article has the chance to improve itself through some additions. The addition of more interviews would help the article. Interviews with people from the cast, the orchestra in the pit, and even interviews with other teachers heavily involved in the musical would include more points of view and even deeper looks into the work that goes into the musical as a whole.