A gentle hush falls over the auditorium as curtains rise and spotlights shine. In the wake of silence, the stage of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown rushes to life, performers finding their spots and music overtaking the audience. All is in motion, entertaining viewers with practiced choreography and well-rehearsed lines so in time that you may not be able to guess at the rigorous work behind each step and song. And yet, if you look closely, there in the flash of darkness behind the falling curtains, you may glimpse one of many unseen who made the play possible.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown originates from cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his famous comic strip Peanuts, where the simple story evolved into a world-wide spectacle. The story revolves around Charlie Brown and his friends, where the group experiences a variety of challenges and festivities in their everyday lives. On March 8th and 9th, Performing Arts and Musical Theater Director Bettie Candelora hosted the performance of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Hackley’s stage at Zetkov.

She, as well as the members of the Musical Theater class, aimed to accurately portray the stories’ jubilant atmosphere by using vivid scenery, well-crafted props, elegant choreography, and spectacular acting. This striking performance lasted about two hours, accompanied with thundering applause and cheers. However, for the actors themselves, the performance started in September 2023. Grueling, repetitive student preparation hidden behind the curtain of time remained unseen from the audiences’ eyes; perhaps celebration should not only be directed at the physical performance, but all unseen efforts as well.

According to senior Kylie Oh, the main choreographer of the play, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown had the perfect amount of positions to match with the Hackley Musical. Subsequently, the first step towards executing the play was casting. After assigning roles to each actor, it was obvious that “the casting was just perfect,” Kylie said. “Their personalities compliment the characters they were cast, and they also added a little bit of their own flair to the role they played.”

Once roles were finalized, Music Theater practiced their independent parts for many hours, rehearsing lines and scenes without fail. By utilizing time inside and outside of school, the actors worked diligently to integrate the jubilant nature of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown within their roles. And its outcome – a success:

“I thought the play was amazing,” freshman Pierce Roc-Sennett said, “I have many friends on the cast and it was so much fun watching them perform – their acting abilities were great and I liked how well they stayed true to the characters. Loved the performance!”

The play’s vibrant atmosphere could not have been exemplified without the critical roles of prop-makers and choreographers. For example, Kylie envisioned and choreographed every moment of the performance. Equipped with a stylish black headset for communication, she directed lights, cues, and dances that perfectly suited each cast member.

“It was important that they voiced their opinions about the movements,” Kylie said, “I wanted them to say if they felt uncomfortable doing certain things… the most important thing for me was that the movement I created made them feel more confident on stage.”

Senior Ela Dedelioglu also played a vital part in the development of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Ela assisted William McNaughton, the technical director of US Performing Arts, to create a variety of colorful props and ornate costumes. These complex decorations that Ella and Mr. McNaughton created, ranging from baseball outfits to massive dog houses, played an utmost critical role in conveying the play’s atmosphere to the audience.

Although You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is only one example of Hackley’s arts, it already illuminates the depth of effort behind each production. It showcases what people love to do and encourages students to continue on with their passions. According to Kylie, “Everyone has their own unique areas of interest, and I think when we celebrate those individual aspects, that’s what makes Hackley so special.”