The DHS drama department received six nominations for its production of “Anastasia” in their first year participating in the Jester’s award. The program judges and awards outstanding high school theater musical productions.
Senior Rebecca Hershberger was nominated for her costume design, all 90 of them.
It was a massive undertaking.
“I have two other people who help me, but some of it you have to do yourself,” Hershberger said.
Participating in the Jester’s meant that judges came to watch and critique the show. Since this was DHS’ first time participating in a while, this was a new experience for most of the actors and crew.
“The vibe during the show didn’t change much, though it did make it more nerve-racking beforehand,” said junior Josiah Armstrong, who was in the show. “There’s a certain concentration that the actors take on show day which doesn’t easily get interrupted by judges.”
The musical was also nominated for Best Ensemble, with the entire cast coming together for the nomination.
“After the stress from the show subsided, it felt great to know that we had judges watching,” Armstrong said. “There’s an inimitable sense of pride that comes from seeing a musical you’ve worked on for months be enjoyed by a large audience.”
Other nominations included Olivia Prue (Countess Lily) – Supporting Performer, Isabelle Johnson (Odette) – Cameo Performer, Cambria Hancock (Little Anastasia) – Pre-High School Performer, Tyler Morris – Orchestra Direction, and Tyler Morris – Vocal Music Direction.
Hershberger was thrilled to be recognized for her hard work.
“I was so excited when I found out when I was nominated because it felt really accomplishing for other people to also like my costumes,” she said.
Hershberger put in a lot of extra time to make the show look great visually, dressing all the actors, including herself, to look their best.
“The process is long because you have to do the research on the time period, then you have to find the costumes and have people try them on to see if they fit, and finally you do all the alterations,” she said.
As a freshman, Hershberger worked with costumes, so she was glad to pass on her knowledge.
“My advice is to never not do your research because if the costume doesn’t fit the time, it won’t look great,” she said.
