The scent of burning rubber began to fill the air of stage right and unfortunately it was not an intentional special effect. It was Act 1, Scene 10 of the cast and crew’s third to last rehearsal before the opening night of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.

The powerful lights placed behind the curtain illuminate the stage, but also have a tendency to burn through the rubber gels that determine the colors of the lights.

“Stage right, do you smell that?” That was the first reaction of senior and veteran member of the Williston tech theater crew, Ryan King, who was in the charge of that side of the stage for the rehearsal. Speaking through a headset to communicate with the ten or so other members of the tech crew, King was the first to detect the issue, but it wasn’t until an actor who had been on stage for the scene was able to pinpoint the origin of the odor.

King had to work quickly as smoke was already rising out of the light. He put on a heavy oven-type mitt and, without disturbing the scene, he pulled the gel off the light. Just a few minutes later, a few lights down from the first malfunction, a second gel began smoking, so King repeated the procedure.

Potential show-stopper averted.

What most members of the Williston theater audience also don’t know about is what the student actors and members of the tech crew do to bring the scripts of Shakespeare to life.

Let’s start with the endless rehearsals. Beginning right after auditions in early December, each member of the cast rehearsed a few time a week for around three to four hours a week; about as much time as most Williston students spend in their math classes each week. The crew began designing a set that would include a “pond” on stage with inches of water that characters would jump into.

As they approached opening night, the cast and crew’s rehearsals became longer with more emphasis on the details that would perfect the show.

Ms. Emily Ditkovski, Director of the Williston Theater, told her cast, “This is me being really nit-picky with you guys, and I’m sure that no one in the world would ever notice these little things that I notice. So, we are in good shape, I’m really excited. But you have to give me everything you got tonight, and just have a super great time out there.”

On April 13^th, the cast and crew had dress rehearsal from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oh, and by the way, these are the same students who go to class at 8:30 a.m., compete on Williston’s athletics teams, and find time to do a little thing called homework.

Junior Leanna Albanese, who has played big roles in recent Williston productions, explains, “It’s basically taking whatever little break you have and working your outside work into that. For this [play], it’s not as bad because I have a lot of time that I can do my homework [during these rehearsals]. It’s just a matter of finding the time, and you get really good at it.”

About why she keeps coming back for each play, Albanese says, “I like it. I love it. It’s really fun. And I’m the happiest when I’m in rehearsal. I don’t like coming out of rehearsal and having to do work. But I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I’m in rehearsal, everything’s cool.”’

Below the stage in the “green room” and in the dressing rooms, audio from the ongoing rehearsal is projected through speakers allowing the actors to know when they need to prepare to be onstage. The actors change costumes transforming themselves from one character into another. They sit around, quietly strumming instruments, doing homework, listening to music, and watching videos.

Junior Calvin Ticknor-Swanson, who has played leads in many recent Williston plays, says about his preparation for each rehearsal, “We have to go over our lines. We go over our blocking. Emily gives us notes the day before, so we have to review our notes and see what we can do better. We kind of have to get in the mood, whether that’s listening to music or being silly, for this play especially. Checking our makeup, we play a lot of games, we do kind of like a focus session.”

There is a stark contrast between the 1930s-era costumes the Williston actors were wearing and the behavior of the twenty-first century high school students. Wearing brightly colored robes and suits, Williston actors took full advantage of their smartphones and Microsoft Surfaces.

Junior Cameron Stanley has acted and been a member of the tech crew for the Williston Theater for the last two years. She says, “As Stage Manager [for As You Like It], I’m really focusing on making sure all of the cast is ready to go and making sure they have everything they need. As far as the crew goes, I make sure all the lights are good, everything is running smoothly for the setup.”

As with many spring productions at Williston, this year’s cast involves many seniors who are taking advantage of their last opportunity to perform at Williston.

Senior Evan Cavanaugh who was recognized on the All Colonial League First Team for football this past fall plays the part of a massive wrestler. Cavanaugh decided that he had nothing to lose in auditioning.

“Senior Spring, I was like, hell, go for it. I like the fact that I can just explore a different side. Normally, I’m just hitting people and hurting people, now I’m just like, ‘yeah, let’s see what I got inside of me.’ Let’s do this, let’s let it out. A lot of fun.”

For others, the biannual productions are a way for some to integrate themselves into the Williston community.

Josh Holmberg, a freshman, says, “I figured that it was a great way to get into the high school life to meet some people. I’ve always loved acting, so it’s always been something I’ve wanted to pursue. A lot of the kids that are in the play are also in Caterwaulers and I love to sing, so that encouraged me to join, also.”

As actors and technicians, these students often prioritize the theater above the other aspects of their Williston lives. But ask any one of them and they will say that their time spent in the Williston Theater is just as they like it.

A version of this article appears in print on May 1, 2015.

Correction April 25th: The article previously stated the actors wore seventeenth-century style costumes, however the costumes were based on 1930s-era clothing.