theater behind the scenes

On Nov. 11, Samo Theater hosted its closing show of The Outsiders. As the audience applauded the actors and actresses, many students were working hard behind the scenes to make this play possible. Creating alluring characters through their costumes, makeup, props and more, the cast and crew of Samo’s theater program spent weeks preparing their debut.

With the play set in Oklahoma during the '60s, the program got to work on costumes representing the full setting, hoping to reflect the feel of the entire decade. Rather than basing the costumes off what you would see in the movie or musical version of The Outsiders, the fashion was focused on imitating the style of the 60’s. To achieve this illusion, they began with a similar color scheme as seen in the movies and based the ensemble's costumes around the concepts they provided for the leads.

As students take an interest in these logistic and creative roles in Samo’s theater program, they build a strong team for success in every performance. Even as a first-time participant in a Samo production, Ella Ever-Hadani (’26) played a major role in creating the costumes that brought the play to life. Ever-Hadani speaks on the process of the program in creating this play’s wardrobe.

“For this production, we had a lot of really great clothes but we tried really hard to work on being historically accurate,” Ever-Hadani said. “So a lot of 80-90s clothing would have looked amazing but we kept our focus on the 60s.”

The props and set pieces used in the production were also key factors in bringing the play to life. During the show, there was a point where the actors were drinking Coca-Cola. To keep the performance in the '60s, the props department used the appropriate Coke bottles from that time. Characters also visit a Dairy Queen in the script. Finding a vintage Dairy Queen sign was a difficult task for the props team so that the audience could understand the scene going around in the play. 

Sophie Castellanos (’26) who played Johnny in the Mustang Cast noted that although preparation played a major part in the play, what stood out to her was how they incorporated minor details throughout to help the audience be immersed in the different scenes. 

“It’s the little things [the Coke bottle and Dairy Queen sign] that made the show better and more engaging to the audience,” Castellanos said. 

Through their hard work the backstage (tech) crew played a large role in creating a memorable and engaging show. Samo theater teacher and play director Katheryn Barraza noted how beneficial good communication and leadership were for the success of the show. 
“They [the tech crew] had a lot to do and…had to communicate silently and efficiently and do everything quickly without being noticed,” Barraza said. “They all worked well together and they were inclusive towards each other.”