The Making of ‘Something Rotten!’
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Something Rotten!" the first musical to hit the Ball Theater stage in nearly a decade. Follow directors, cast, and crew from auditions in August to opening night on November 1, 2023.
Each audition started with Choreography Director Kat Hickey, who led walking patterns and stretches to warm up the body ahead of fast-paced choregraphed dances giving auditioners a small taste of what it will feel like to participate in the 15 different full ensemble dances featured in “Something Rotten!”
Mixed emotions about choreography rehearsals were felt by Hickey too, who admits to initially being both excited and nervous about directing the tap dance numbers in the musical. She says, “I was very upfront with the fact that I have not tapped since I was a child, but Michael had faith that I could somehow pull it off. I managed to teach myself the basic tap steps in nine weeks in order to put together some semblance of choreography that was both challenging and doable for the performers.”
“I channeled different musicians and characters like Robert Plant from Led Zepplin, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, and Mike Myers as Austin Powers to influence my stage presence playing the role of Shakespeare. My favorite moment was performing my first song, ‘Will Power,’ where I got to channel a lot of that exaggerated, sexy rock star energy this character is infused with,” said Oppman.
Stage Manager Drew Johannes ’23 gives actors feedback after a night of rehearsals. “This was the first time I was on the other side of a production, and I was definitely envious of the actors the entire time. But I was even more happy to be able to learn everything that I have as stage manager. I’m thankful Abbott trusted me to help put on a show this big with so many moving pieces,” Johannes said.
“I loved Nigel’s earnestness, but my favorite part about him was his character development. He starts out with zero confidence in himself despite his talent, but as time goes on, he grows a spine and pours himself into writing what would become a masterpiece, though of course Shakespeare gets the credit,” said Luke Fincher ’24 who played Nigel Bottom.
Alex Schmidt ’27 as Nostradamus (left) and Logan Weilbaker ’25 as Nick Bottom. “We had an incredibly tight-knit company. It’s really important that a rehearsal is a place where you want to be because it is such grueling work five days a week, three hours a night. If you’re not having fun, then it’s going to be really tough to make it through that. The fact that everybody was so on board and so loving with one another made it all possible,” said Weilbaker.
“One of my favorite moments during the rehearsal process was when the cast finally felt like they were dancing after ‘Musical.’ I can’t remember exactly when it happened—maybe during the Cheryl rehearsal or slightly before that—but after drilling for weeks this choreography, they danced it, and it was simply electric,” said Hickey.
Costume Designer Andrea Bear, stitchers Allison Jones and Anthony Sirk, and student costumers were tasked with creating a laundry-list of outfits that featured a heavy Shakespearean look while also staying light enough for the actors to comfortably dance, sing, and navigate numerous quick changes throughout the show.
Some materials used in previous Wabash productions were pulled from the shop’s storage to create the new costumes, some items were bought new or created just for “Something Rotten!,” and others came from a costume sale at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign).
“There were so many ridiculous elements to the script—Elizabethan characters, dancing eggs, grim reapers—that let me play and have fun with how the characters should be costumed,” said Bear. “It’s always great to get an audience’s reaction to your work. I was just happy that it all came together in the end. This was a huge undertaking, with a lot of moving parts, and at the end of it was a beautiful production.”
“Serving as head of wardrobe was so much fun—especially as someone who has experience acting. I really enjoyed being there to support the actors, keeping them calm if they couldn’t get a zipper up or find the head hole. There were many times where I had to be like, ‘We’ll get it. It’s OK, just breathe. We still have six seconds, that’s like a minute in theater time!’ I thought a lot about the ways that I liked to be helped when quick changing,” said Wardrobe Supervisor K’tren Wilson ’24.
Choreography Director Kathleen Hickey gives feedback during the tech rehearsal. “When Michael contacted me last spring, I never questioned whether or not I would say yes to joining the collaborative team for ‘Something Rotten!’ Michael is a dream collaborator and director. There is a trust that we established nearly a decade ago with the production of ‘Guys and Dolls,’ and I was not going to throw away another chance at that type of collaboration.”
“One of my favorite moments was seeing the transition of the wardrobe crew,” said Costume Designer Andrea Bear. “We had five students and one language TA working backstage on wardrobe, so they were responsible for setting all costume pieces for the quick changes, and there were a lot of quick changes. But going from the first day where it was complete chaos and everyone was terrified, to the night before opening and they had everything running smoothly without any notes is just a fun transition to witness.”
Sitzprobe took place October 29, 2023. Elizabeth Hutson, who played Portia, perfectly sums up the vibe of sitzprobe. She says, “It’s the first time when all the pieces of the puzzle come together: the cast, the costumes, the lights, the set, the sound, and the orchestra. It’s exhausting, and it’s THE BEST!”
The orchestra included Conductor Scott Pazera; Violin Alex Thomas; Bass Thomas Brinkley; Drums Greg Carey and Dane Market ’26; Guitar Quintin Danzi and Scott Pazera; Keyboard Cheryl Everett, Tom Lowe and Benjamin Casica-Patton ’25; Reed Patrick Burnette, John Holt and Jim Swift; Trumpet Bruce Knepper and Steve Parke; and Trombone Brian Pattison.
Director Michael Abbott ’85 reflected on all that went into the musical ahead of its opening night on November 1, 2023. From having the opportunity to collaborate with brilliant directors and crew members to directing a talented pool of actors—one of which was his daughter, Zoe—Abbott had a lot to be proud of with the making of “Something Rotten!”
“Michael directs with a lot trust in his cast and artistic team. He lays down the bare bones, the general shape of a show, and then allows freedom for play and experimentation. He isn’t strict with his own vision of the show; he gives actors room to breathe, and it’s a joy to work with him,” said Elizabeth Hutson.
“I channeled different musicians and characters like Robert Plant from Led Zepplin, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, and Mike Myers as Austin Powers to influence my stage presence playing the role of Shakespeare. My favorite moment was performing my first song, ‘Will Power,’ where I got to channel a lot of that exaggerated, sexy rock star energy this character is infused with,” said Tom Oppman ’25 as Shakespeare.
“Figuring out Nick’s motivations was challenging. He’s a guy who loves his wife, loves his brother, and wants what all of us want, just a simple life and cottage in the country. I’ve never been married, I don’t have any siblings, but I do know what it’s like to care about someone and to feel the pressure of having to deliver. Michael encouraged me to dive into those experiences with this character. I usually hate playing the leading role in general, but I felt very honored that he trusted in me to pull it off,” said Logan Weilbaker ’25.