The fictional town of Sweet Apple, Ohio, the backdrop of Columbus High School’s presentation of “Bye Bye Birdie” may seem familiar to anyone who’s stayed a moment in a small town.
There’s club signs indicating the local veterans and civic organizations. Patios perched over front yards and the community watering hole.
All of which can be seen in the troupe’s shows scheduled to debut for the public, online, January 29th and 30th.
“Birdie” is set in 1958, as an Elvis-esque teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie was drafted to the US Army. Before induction day, however, Conrad's managers, Albert Peterson and his long-suffering girlfriend, Rose Alvarez, cook up a contest to see which of Conrad's adoring fans get to leave him with his last kiss before leaving.
The timeless tale has been staged for decades with different versions of Sweet Apple. For CHS teacher and the show’s Technical Theatre Director Sean McDonald, this production has a hint of home for him.
Placed somewhere between a dive bar and city hall, the Ice House in Yankton, S.D., served plenty of discourse and for a young McDonald, soda.
“I remember (my grandpa) would pick me up from kindergarten and we’d stop there. I’d get a pop and Cheetos,” McDonald said, “and I would sit and listen to the old men talk.”
It was these fond memories, and simple but shared experiences that made the Ice House a fit in Sweet Apple.
“Sweet Apple is a made-up place. But in the play, it’s kind of one those places you’d throw a dart and you’d land there. And I feel like Yankton is that way, too,” McDonald said. “If someone from New York would land in Yankton, they may not know the difference between it and Sweet Apple.”
He also drew inspiration for the set from other Yankton staples including City Hall and some lesser-known landmarks.
“Some of these are kind of ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it,’ things,” McDonald said of a roadside group of signs. “A lot of places have those, and even if you’re not from Yankton, you’ve seen those before.”
Tasked with creating Sweet Apple fell on a crew of 26 students including stage manager Jessica Reiff.
“I have been a part of the theater department for all four years of high school. I have been the stage manager for three years,” the CHS senior said. “Kim's bedroom is my favorite set piece. It was fun to build.”
Stage construction began in late October and McDonald estimates each crew member puts in nearly 100 hours before opening night. He admits “he has to be flexible,” with student time.
Rieff appreciates that.
“I track all of my activities in a planner, so I can schedule around them,” she said. “Occasionally, I have to miss a day, but it works out in the end.”
McDonald also recruited help from professional artist and CHS 2019 graduate, Megan Brewer. Brewer, who volunteered her time to the production, attempted to capture the time period in color and style. As well as added her own touches.
“I took the general ideas from reference images,” she said of the Yankton locations, “but I tried to break it down as much as I could to make it still feel fictional and feel original to (Sweet Apple).”
Brewer watched a version of the musical and used a color palette that any classic car owner would recognize.
“I know pastels were big during the ‘50s, when this play is set,” she said. “So I added those colors into it some. I also am using a lot of black and white. That contrast and bold lines help it stand out on stage.”
Construction was a new thing for Brewer, whose work is mostly with oil paints on canvas.
“This is a way to get out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I have done smaller woodworking projects, but nothing like this.”
The larger stage pieces are no small task, McDonald said. The Ice House structure will sit on six heavy-duty casters that can support up to 600 pounds each. Other practical items had to be done for space and budget reasons. During one song, actors are contorted into different boxes. Crew members built a specially designed box that sits on a moving platform.
“There’s a place called Maude’s Bar,” McDonald said. “We built that little cubby and around it we built a table. So when it’s not used for the song, it’s Maude’s Bar. It works pretty slick.”
“Bye Bye Birdie” opens Friday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. Two shows will follow on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2:30 and 7 p.m.
The show will be streamed exclusively online for the public. Tickets to access the stream can be purchased for $7 an individual or a family pass (3 or more people) for $20 and can be bought at https://bit.ly/2N9eWON. Links can also be found on ColumbusPublicSchools.org.