As time draws nearer to the curtain call, stage crew and actors take their places. Working together for all this time to prepare for opening night, their combined effort shows as they put on an amazing show on opening night. 

Coworkers, and friends, Doralee, Violet and Judy are fed up with their sexist and egotistical boss, Franklin Hart Jr., so they hatch a plot to get revenge and take control of the office in the late 1970s. This is the plot of the musical composed by Dolly Parton: “9 to 5.”

This year, MCHS’s theater department will be putting on the production, “9 to 5: The Musical.” Students and staff have been preparing for opening night, which occurred on March 5. 

Each member of the theater department has a unique and important role to play, whether it be actor, member of crew, or crew chief.

“Doralee Rhodes is a sassy and sweet lady from Texas who takes care of business and makes sure everyone knows it,” junior Leah Atkinson says, “I am truly honored to get to play such an independent and flashy woman, it really is such a rewarding feeling.”

As actors get ready for the show, they try to embody the character that they plan to play, making the show authentic and entertaining. 

“My character is Dwayne Rhodes,” sophomore Evan Mai says. “He is a very loving husband to Doralee and makes sure she is always at her best, and reassures her when she feels down.”

“The character that I play in ‘9 to 5’ is called Joe. He is an awkward accountant who has a huge crush on an important lady in the company, Violet,” junior Matthew Zurawski says. “This role has been on the easier side for me to play, because I have experience playing awkward people.”

Additionally, actors do more than read the script; they fully get to know and embody the character. 

“When preparing I often asked myself what it was like to be a woman in the late 70s and how unfair an office job truly was at the time,” Atkinson says. “I would make a playlist of the broadway soundtrack and listen to it over and over again to get an idea of an overall tone/certain stylistic choices that might be essential. It is all worth it though and for this opportunity I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

While the musical is an annual occurrence, there are things that make each year’s production unique. 

“Last year, the cast had between 10-13 people,” Zurawski says. “This year, we have more than twenty! It has been awesome working with the big cast, and it has allowed me to become close with people that I have never talked to before this show.”

As the actors prepare for the show, lots of behind-the-scenes collaboration occurs among the theater department.

“This musical has more characters, scene changes, choreography, and costume changes than last year, so that has required a greater attention to detail and working together as a department,” Spring Musical Director, Andrew Hillier says. “We have a great team, so the collaboration has been enjoyable for me.”

While the actors are the only people visible to the audience during the play, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, and the stage crew puts in a lot of work to make the show run smoothly. 

“My role is sound chief and call manager,” junior Ella Hatfield says. “As a sound chief I am the head of our sound crew, I help to teach and prepare the sound crew to be able to run the shows on our sound board and I work very closely with almost all crew chiefs and our directors, making sure I can help bring their visions to life on the sound side of our production.” 

“My role is the stage manager for the show, which basically ensures that all of the crews and the director are on the same page,” senior Alie Brown, says. “I frequently speak with almost every crew about what they are busy working on, and conveying that with our director.”

Prepping for the musical can be stressful for everyone, but the end result makes it all worth it in the end. 

“Being a principal in the musical on top of honors/AP classes can definitely be stressful, but I can confidently say that it will all be worth it once I get the feeling of taking my first bow on opening night,” Atkinson says. “Prioritizing yourself is always a must, including following your dreams and doing something you love.”

Brown says, “all of the amazing people that work on the show with me make it fun and overall reduce the amount of stress that I have to deal with alone.”

Overall, the musical serves as a unifying experience for all of the students in the theater department. From collaboration to production, everything falls into place for opening night. 

“From working on dancing and music to rehearsing with the pit, there are a lot of moments to cherish, and some that I’d definitely want to redo,” Zurawski says. “Overall, prepping for this musical has been a fantastic experience, and I’ve loved sharing the stage with my fellow castmates.”

As the crowd applauds the theater department, members of cast and crew take a bow at the end of closing night. The curtain closes for the last time, and as cast and crew celebrate a successful 2026 spring musical, they reflect on the work they put in to get to this point, and know that it was all worth it for a successful show, even if it felt like they were working, “9 to 5.”