Photo Albums

Auditions for “Something Rotten!” took place August 22 and 23, 2023. Director Michael Abbott '85 (right) and Stage Manager Drew Johannes '23 share notes during Night 2. 

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!”

Choreography Director Kat Hickey

Katherine Novak and Alex Kindig ’26

Director Michael Abbott ’85 and Vocal Director Colleen Pingel asked each actor to sing a show tune-style song of their choice.

Auditioners, including Thomas Bowling (pictured), showed off their vocal talents with songs like “Be Our Guests” from “Beauty and the Beast,” “You’ll Be Back” from “Hamilton,” and “When Words Fail” from “Shrek the Musical.” 

Led by Director Michael Abbott ’85, the table read took place on August 27, 2023. All actors got together for the very first time to read their lines and sing along (if they could) to Broadway recordings of each song, while Stage Manager Drew Johannes reviewed stage directions

Hayden Kammer ’24 (left) and Max Hsu (language intern at Wabash) 

Lisa Miellet (language intern at Wabash) and Alex Schmidt ’27 

Costume Designer Andrea Bear and Scenic and Technical Director David Vogel shared their visions of the overall look and staging concept of “Something Rotten!” 

Table read night gave actors a general awareness of the plot and tone, that way when rehearsals officially started, they had some idea of how each scene and their own characters fits into the show.

Many actors described choreography rehearsals, which took place from August 28 through October 26, as being both exhilarating and grueling. Crawfordsville High School students Zoe Abbott (left) and Paige Johnson share a moment during rehersal.

Tom Oppman ’25 as Shakespeare

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.

Julia Phipps (academic administrative coordinator to the Fine Arts Center) as Bea

“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.

Director Michael Abbott ’85 gives feedback.

“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.

Like the choreography (which took place from August 28 through October 26), vocal rehearsals presented challenges as some actors were initially unsure of their vocal range or didn’t have experience reading sheet music. 

Before diving into songs as a group or individually in practice rooms with Rehearsal Accompanist Cheryl Everett, the cast participated in breathing and vocal warm-ups and exercises.     

Elizabeth Hutson (Crawfordsville native) as Portia

Members of the female (Lisa Miellet and Katherine Novak) and male (Nathan Felix ’24 and Alex Kindig ’26) ensembles participate in a vocal rehearsal.

“I loved working with Michael, Kat, and Cheryl. It was the best collaborative experience I have ever had. I remember sitting in the audience opening night with an immense sense of pride, gratitude, and awe of how beautiful the cast sounded,” said Pingel.

Vocal Director Colleen Pingel (far left) was patient and encouraged lead and ensemble performers to push themselves week after week. 

Alex Kindig ’26 and Tom Oppman ’25 

As actors rehearsed, crew members stayed busy for three months during the day building the “Something Rotten!” stage.

After joining the Wabash staff in August as an associated professor of theater, “Something Rotten!” was David Vogel’s first big project leading student workers as the scenic design and technical director. 

The set construction crew included Ryan Frazier ’26, Benjamin High ’24, Jacob Irick ’25, Mike Kopecky ’27, Jesus Monrroy Mazcorro ’24, William Morris ’25, Tanner Quackenbush ’26, Edsel Reyna ’26 and Wade Wisler ’17.

When it all came together, the small yet efficient structural pieces constructed by Vogel and crew allowed for quick and seamless switches from scene to scene.        

When it all came together, the small yet efficient structural pieces constructed by Vogel and crew allowed for quick and seamless switches from scene to scene.        

Jesus Monrroy Mazcorro ’24 (left) and Jacob Irick ’25

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 was definitely a lot going on,” said Bear.

Stitcher Allison Jones 

“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.” 

Oscar Jacome Huesca ’25

“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.

Costumers included Allison Jones, Anthony Sirk, K’tren Wilson ’24, Precious Ainabor ’26, Oscar Jacome Huesca ’25, Kade Irwin ’25, Rylan Perkins ’17, Gwyn Redding and Evie Redding.

Precious Ainabor ’26

The first run-through took place October 5, 2023, a little less than a month before opening night. 

Exactly how it sounds, the first run-through was the first time the cast ran through the entire musical without interruption. 

Exactly how it sounds, the first run-through was the first time the cast ran through the entire musical without interruption. 

Luke Fincher ’24 as Nigel Bottom and Elizabeth Hutson as Portia

At the end of the first run-through, the stage manager and directors shared notes with actors on what scenes and lines need tweaked and strengthened. 

Tech rehearsal took place October 28, 203. 

This is the first time light and sound levels are tested and prepared for opening of the show. 

Actors are asked to stand in certain areas on stage to ensure they are properly lit, not standing in dark spots, and delivering lines in a way that ensures any background noises don’t overpower their voices. 

Paige Johnson, a member of the ensemble, shared her memories of the night: “Tech rehearsals are long days full of standing around on stage, skipping through scenes, singing songs multiple times, dancing, and lots and lots of stopping and saying ‘Can we do that again?’”

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.”

Logan Weilbaker ’25 as Nick Bottom and Alex Schmidt ’27 as Nostradamus

Shift rehearsal took place October 29, 2023. Also known as a “cue-to-cue,” shift is the first rehearsal where actors participate in full costume changes with costumers and wardrobe. 

Taking place three days ahead of opening night, the crew also spent the night adding final touches to the construction of the set and art featured on stage.

Wardrobe members included Precious Ainabor ’26, Kade Irwin ’25, Joshua Massaquoi ’26, Maria Jose Oviedo Pruano (language intern at Wabash), and K’tren Wilson ’24.

“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.”

Scenic Charge Artist Benjamin High ’24

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.

“I feel like I had the best seat in the house every night because I could see everything from where I was sitting to the point where on the third night, Cheryl (Everett) had to poke me to stop watching said, ‘Hey, we’re supposed to go on!’” said Conductor Scott Pazera.

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!” 

“I just want my team to know that I love them,” Abbott said. “Theater tends to make families, and that’s exactly what happened here.”  

Julia Phipps (academic administrative coordinator to the Fine Arts Center) as Bea and Luke Fincher ’24 as Nigel Bottom

Jim Cherry (associate professor of theater) as Brother Jeremiah

“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.

“It was truly an amazing experience, from collaborating with the other directors to rehearsing with the cast and working with the stage crew. I will treasure those memories,” said Vocal Director Colleen Pingel.

“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.

Max Hsu (language intern at Wabash) as Shylock and Logan Weilbaker ’25 as Nick Bottom

“I hadn’t done a musical since high school, which is something I really missed. I knew that we had a lot of very talented people interested in doing a musical for a while now, and that this would be the kind of thing everyone involved went all in for,” said Luke Fincher ’24.

“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.