Endless chatter among friends and family slowly dies as the auditorium lights dim. Behind the drawn curtain several actors and actresses scurry to their positions in preparation for the opening scene.

The audience, left in a breathless silence, pays rapt attention to the darkened stage before them.

The suspenseful trance is broken by a shrill scream. The lights flicker to a radiant glimmer and, all at once, the production begins.

“The Rise and Fall of a Hip Teenage Christian Girl Band” was performed on Dec. 9, 10, and 11, in addition to elementary and junior high shows. Overall, the play was lucrative as well as entertaining.

“We did five shows, and each one was better than the last,” Tom McEntee, drama teacher, said. “The group gelled together so well.”

The play followed the lives of four ambitious teenage girls as they faced and overcame the struggles of starting a Christian band.

The main character, Cindy, played by Amanda Dring, ’06, was portrayed as a worldly dreamer, who was mainly interested in fame and fortune.

“Once the band becomes a reality Cindy becomes controlling and snappy,” Dring said. “She finally gets what she wants, and refuses to let anybody interfere, even her friends.”

Dring went on to explain that, although Cindy’s personality was similar to her own in some ways, in general she is quite different.

“I don’t really think I’m like Cindy that much,” Dring said. “I’m not disrespectful to my parents on any level, I’m not that girly and I’m not as superficial as she was. However, I will admit that I do dance in my room and stay up late with my friends.”

In the end, Cindy undergoes a drastic change of heart.

Samantha Grizz, ?07, played one of Cindy’s friends and fellow band mates, Meg.

“I suppose I’m a little bit like my character,” Grizz said. “She’s more laid back than the other girls and seems to not get so caught up in everything. That’s kind of how I am.”

As with any production, mistakes do happen on and off stage.

“A couple of times I forgot my lines or got cut off by someone else,” Grizz said. “It was confusing because sometimes when people forgot their lines they jumped ahead about five sentences and then I had to remember where my next line was.”

Aside from mistakes, there were only a few other disappointments regarding the show.

“I was honestly disappointed about Friday’s show,” McEntee said. “I guess I was going for the perfect show but that’s not how things turned out.”

McEntee then explained that others disagreed with him.

“There were a lot of parents who liked Friday’s show,” McEntee said. “They changed my focus and encouraged me.”

McEntee points out that the most important part of success is being creative and enjoying being a part of the production as a whole.

“The last night, I told the kids this show would be the measure of their success,” McEntee said. “First, we say yes to the creative ideas that come our way, and second and most important, we have fun.”

Overall, the production appealed to many.

“It was well put together and the students did a good job of playing convincing roles,” Kara Linkowski, ’08 said. “They did a good job of balancing moral issues with humor.”