lights, camera, action
Behind the scenes with Principal Delilah Strict
Liz Klimas
Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Arts
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6:30 p.m.
The show begins in an hour and a half and Besty wears black leggings, a cream tunic sweater and Ugg boots.
"I love this part just because we get really excited before a show," she says, drawing back from the mirror where she was applying a heavy foundation.
The makeup brand is Ben Nye, used by most theatrical professionals.
Fourteen bright bulbs blaze around each of the 18 mirrors - a total of 252 intense bulbs - into the actors and actresses faces while they add shadow, apply wrinkles, darken lips and slick hair.
"The Newsies," a musical based on the Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, mixes with excited conversation and singing along.
"I get nervous just before the curtains open but not yet," senior Vanessa Hatcher says while curling up the tips of her ponytail at the next mirror over.
6:40 p.m.
Cries of delight interrupt the Newsies chorus. Sophomore Kaelynn VanBuren just got a tulip plant from her Pi Beta Phi sisters.
Betsy reads the card attached to her white and yellow carnations from Ryan Walsh '06.
An actor yells above the crowd, "Warm-up in 20 minutes."
Betsy speeds up her application. Hatcher explains that each actor has a worksheet with a face displaying the makeup configuration for his character.
Aqua Net hairspray dusts the air and hair of men and women alike in a continuous stream.
6:45 p.m.
Sophomore Kate Jones, who plays Toffee in the show, sings along to the music.
"Your voice sounds good, girl," Betsy says.
"Knock on wood," Jones replies, rapping her knuckles on the counter while raising her eyebrows.
Betsy gestures to her wig and describes its short brown locks as "creepy Betty Boop."
"Actors warm-up is going to be in five minutes," a voices calls out.
6:50 p.m.
"You eat [greasy food] before a show," Betsy says. "It oils up the vocal cords."
She's onto the wrinkles for her 30-year-old-plus character. Junior Maria Cantin helps an actress apply eyeliner.
Someone says "Ouch Charlie" and everyone bursts out into British accents, quoting the YouTube video "Charlie bit my finger."
Betsy applies a super red lipstick, and the sound technician fits her with a mini-microphone.
6:55 p.m.
Director Dave Griffiths comes into the room and calls for the actors' attention.
"Betsy, bring you voice down in the duck and cover spread. Eddy, enunciate 'melt' and 'puddle'; it's a good comic line. Girls, 'destined to be' is faces up."
As others are finishing makeup and moving on to their costumes, Betsy struggles with liquid eyeliner.
"You'll never see it from the stage; you'll never know," she says, looking at the thick, slightly crooked black line. "This eyeliner is evil."
7:05 p.m.
Everyone is on stage warming up their voices. Besty is missing.
7:08 p.m.
Betsy runs onto the stage - shoe straps undone - and joins the friendly argument of which pop song they should warm up with. First, Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time." Second, Annie's "Tomorrow."
She's now in her wig, which curls forward onto her cheeks, and a sea-foam green dress, which she said came from the costume director's mother's hope chest.
"I can move in it, which is good because I do a lot of marching," she says.
The cast gathers in circle to do an energizing voice and body warm-up involving the shaking of hands and feet. After it's hands in the middle … one, two, three ... "Energy and Enunciation," they shout - the theme for the night.
7:25 p.m.
To the green room to get in the zone and into character.
8:00 p.m.
Betsy's voice, which has transformed into the harsh military tone of Principal Delilah Strict, rings above the crowd as high schoolers from Enrico Fermi High are at their lockers.
Her appearances on stage are accented with jerky motions and marching accentuating her tightly wound character.
The attitude and energy of Betsy's real person shines through even when she's playing a character wholly unlike herself.
10:10 p.m.
A group of four waits as Betsy's fan club to congratulate and hug. She emerges from downstairs, again in leggings, tunic, boots and blond hair pin-curled up.
She has the same spark but she's calmed down.
"You put every ounce of energy into the show and it is exhausting," she said. "You are very pacified. You want to go home and go to bed. But it's a great feeling and you can't wait to do it again."
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