Oak Park High School’s Thespian Society Troupe 6074 performed their school edition of “The Addams Family” play on March 9, 10 and 11. After months of preparation, the final product was widely acclaimed by audience members.

“It has to be one of my favorite plays so far. The choreography was beautifully done and the music was marvelous. Both the actors and the band did a stunning job! 10 out of 10,” junior Ella Homesely, who saw the opening night of “The Addams Family,” said.

With auditions occurring at the beginning of January, rehearsals started soon after. The cast worked tirelessly through hours of practice, totaling between 13-15 hours a week.

“We would rehearse generally Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. We added Tuesdays, too. Generally, rehearsals would run from 3:45 to 6:45 p.m. during the week, sometimes longer. On Saturdays, rehearsals ran from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,” junior Elizebeth Dusek, who played the character of Morticia Addams, said.

As frequent rehearsals required the cast, pit orchestra and behind-the-scenes members to spend ample time together, close relationships were developed among all groups. 

“Everyone is really welcoming. People are really friendly and will try to get to know you,” Dusek said.

With each new production put on by OPHS Thespian Troupe 6074, new members are welcomed to join in a variety of positions. Malina Star, a junior who joined “The Addams Family” play as her first-ever production through OPHS, played the role of a courtesan ancestor in the ensemble.

“My overall experience has been really awesome as this was my first musical through the high school and the amount of love I felt from the group made me so happy. I had so much fun, especially with the choreography,” Star said.

Although only the cast members are visible to the audience, the band and design crew, in addition to the lighting technicians, help each play come to life. With live music performed by the band and visual effects and props created by the design crew, the narrative of “The Addams Family” was able to be told with storytelling professionalism.

“During the show, you may only pay attention to the people on the stage, but the band and design crews put in so much work and we wouldn’t be able to do anything without them,” Star said.

Audiences affirmed the time and preparation put into the production of “The Addams Family,” as they cheered on the performances and awaited the next scene of the captivating play.

“I am really happy with the final product. I feel that a lot of hard work has been put in and we were able to do a really good job telling the story,” Star said.