While most musicals take a couple of months to produce, Redondo’s Thespian Troupe 1573 had only 24 hours to rehearse, memorize, choreograph and design an entire production of The Little Mermaid.

“The point is to show our talents and what we can do in a certain amount of time. You find out the musical the day before and then the whole thing takes place in 24 hours. It happens over the course of two days, so the entire set is built, all the lines are memorized, and all the blocking is done in that period of time,” director Sophia Turcot, senior, said.

With only a couple hours of break in between the two days to sleep, the troupe worked for almost 24 hours straight in order to put together a musical from start to finish. Because they spent the majority of the time working, they were still able to take pride in the finished product, experiencing “adrenaline, excitement, and pure exhaustion” according to senior Liana Moore.

“It was really fun because we all got to work together and everyone was really supportive. We’re all always helping each other so it was amazing to see what we’re capable of putting together,” Moore said.

With so much to do in only 24 hours, there was always some kind of job for someone to do, according to senior Kayla Louie, especially because the actors were always busy memorizing lines, lyrics, and harmonies. 

“Whenever people weren’t being used we watched the chaos that was happening around to make sure that everything would get done on time. Everyone was pretty much working for 24 hours straight, so if you weren’t being used in the black box you were working on your scenes or your dances or helping tech paint,” Louie said.

The musical was a chance for the thespians to experiment with new responsibilities. Everyone had to pitch in a little bit everywhere, so people had the opportunity to try something new. 

“It was nice to experience the design part of the production from a different point of view, being that it was something where I was able to control a specific part of the choreography that was really important to retain the story,” choreographer Brianna Baker, senior, said.

Thespians are students who have demonstrated dedication to the theatre department and a passion for the theatre arts by participating in three main stage productions, according to Louie.

“I really love the community of being a thespian because we’re all very dedicated to what we do. It’s a really big honor, and I know it probably doesn’t seem like that to the school but it is a big accomplishment because you have to dedicate a lot of time to receive your thespian status and I’m very proud of mine. It’s a marker of how much I put into theater and it’s a good feeling to get that back,” Louie said.

Despite some mistakes, such as a chaotic backstage and difficulty bringing a huge boat onstage, the thespians were able to enjoy themselves while dedicating their time to putting together the show.

“There were definitely some mishaps but it was kind of funny, and it was all part of the process. At that point we were just having fun because mistakes were inevitable. It’s a 24-hour musical, but I felt like with the time we had we definitely pulled it together,” Moore said

For normal performances, tickets are sold for revenue, but for this musical, each participant was given 4 tickets in total to give out for the shows. Because the audience consisted mostly of friends and family, it created a friendlier environment according to Louie.

“Seeing it all come together and watching that first run-through was just so exciting. Even though chunks of blocking were missing and parts needed to be added it was just really fun to see our hard work pay off,” Turcot said.

Even though there were only 24 hours to get the entire thing done, the thespians pulled through because of their tight bond and hard work ethic. 

“My favorite part about being a thespian is that it’s just such a tight-knit community and we’re there for each other. We’re all supportive of one another and share that same passion of loving what we do,” Moore said.