Students create virtual backstage pass to "Cinderella" musical

If you had a virtual backstage pass to your favorite theatrical production where you could see the cast and crew preparing in the weeks leading up to the event, would you feel a deeper connection to the performance? 

Northwest High School fine arts performed Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" last month. Students involved in the production collaborated together to produce and publish a series of videos as part of a backstage vlog (video blog) to connect the audience to the performers. Prior to the performance date, the students captured video footage of the cast and crew as they prepared for the event. Other students also contributed their backstage footage, so the vlog included many aspects of the massive preparation that goes into a musical, including set production, choral practice, choreography practice, short interviews with the cast and crew, and much more.

Each week, Emma and Kaylon, students who spearheaded the vlog, collected videos during the week and edited the videos over the weekend to post on YouTube. They posted five videos total, giving five weeks of backstage access, all the way up to three days before the performance began. To gain exposure, the videos were advertised on social media and included in the "Cinderella" playbill via QR Codes. According to Emma and Kaylon, the feedback they received from people about the videos was positive, especially since "most people don't realize how much work we actually do backstage, they just usually see the final product." This gave the audience a deeper connection to the performance by seeing all the hard work being done in preparation. Additionally, making the videos allowed the entire cast and crew to interact on a deeper level as well, giving a more meaningful experience as they worked together to produce "Cinderella".

Click on the video below to see an example:

Link to all 5 videos: Cinderella NHS YouTube channel

Link to Cinderella Playbill