The cast and crew of “Meet Me in St. Louis” have been hard at work since December, memorizing blocking, music, dialogue and intense choreography in preparation for opening night on Feb. 15. Tech week is now underway, and for everyone involved in the show, it is the most difficult part of the season.

Senior Megan Labarge has been a part of tech week for all four of her years at HHS, for two years as a member of stage crew and two as stage manager. She has become very familiar with the process.

“It puts all of my planning and organization to the test, and everything can be really hectic if it isn’t organized. The crew this year is just becoming a part of the show during tech week, and we’re just now figuring out how they’re oriented and how they’ll function within the show. The directors are always really stressed, too, especially regarding all the things they need from me and from the students,” Labarge said.

Tech week is a vital part of the creation of musical. For the entire week leading up to opening night, rehearsals run from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the evening as the cast and crew run the show from start to finish, with a break between acts.

The musical team bonds over the course of the week, as they are required to spend excessive amounts of time together in order to perfect the show. For junior Cora Sawin, the tech week process is always fun, even with the stress it brings.

“It’s really fun,” Sawin said. “It’s nice to hang out with everyone for that long, but homework and balancing school along with this is really difficult.”

Some musical veterans, like senior Eleanor Alger who plays Mrs. Smith, are no strangers to the way tech week works.

“This is the first time we’ve seen the cast, crew and pit come together, and we’re all running off of so little sleep,” Alger said. “Patience is running a little thin. Tech week is still my favorite component of putting together a show, because we finally get to see what it’s all going to look like.

The stress of tech week on the musical team often comes from a number of factors, including balancing schoolwork and rehearsal. For senior Noelle Warne who plays Esther, one of the lead roles, this transition into tech week is one she takes seriously.

“It’s always a shift of priorities,” Warne said. “For me, it’s all about time management. After school, I go home and make schedules for eating, warming up, getting dressed and whatever else I need to do. I videotape rehearsals so I can give myself notes. I change my diet so I can stay healthy, because without a lot of sleep it’s really easy to get sick.”

The process often takes a toll on many of the cast and crew members, as the late rehearsals make the juggling act of schoolwork and extracurriculars even more difficult than normal. For Labarge, this is evident by opening night.

“The amount of time we have to be here is really stressful,” Labarge said. “We put in so much work, and we work for such long hours. Everyone is tired and kind of cranky, but we always have to remember that by opening night it’ll pay off.”

Junior Lizet Muniz feels similarly.

“Having to be here for six hours at a time without having a lot of time leftover for homework is really hard,” Muniz said. “Trying to find time for assignments is the hardest part for me.”

Despite the stress of pre-opening preparations—which include full show run-throughs, last-minute costume finalizations and tightening dance numbers—the cast and crew are excited to share the story of “Meet Me in St. Louis” with the community.

“The amount of focus going into each rehearsal increases leading up to tech week. Everyone has to hold themselves accountable, and if each individual is motivated to tell the story, the whole group will come together,” Labarge said.

In order to hold themselves accountable as Labarge says, the team must be able to work together in order to combine all of the elements of the show into a cohesive product.

“Every year is always super stressful but super fun. I’m always a little stressed about pulling my performance up to par but I’m so excited to see what the show will look like with cast, crew and pit combined,” Muniz said.

Despite the setbacks on the road to opening night, the cast, crew and pit are excited to see what the show will bring to an audience.

“We have the potential to do so much with this show, and I think by opening night we’ll be able to truly bring it to life,” Warne said.