Makeup powder, hairspray, and an underlying sense of panic filled the air when I entered the theater room in order to conduct interviews for this piece about the St. Petersburg High School fall production, “The Butler Dit it, Again!” The expectation was to rotate through cast and crew members in an organized manner asking them all the same questions and recording responses individually. Instead, during the first two minutes of my interview with Aishat Lawal playing “Ruth Dice”, a character she claimed to have a difficult time connecting to, there was an interruption from two other cast members, and all of a sudden the interview questions became obsolete and instead a conversation without restriction took place. 

I discussed the meaning of the work put into the show with Enrico Scriver who plays “Father White” and his introduction to the theater. To no one’s surprise, having Ms. B as a teacher was his first exposure to how productions at Saint Pete High are run. This same vision is illuminated in Alejandro Gonzalez as well. He claimed that he had absolutely no interest in shows or musicals. He hadn’t even attended a production until he found himself on the stage, rather than in front of it. It was Ms. B that recognized his potential and strongly encouraged, if not forced, his role in the past spring school musical. He claimed to understand the cliché implications attached to his statement about the large impact theater had on his life; that his life had been changed for the better in ways he cannot begin to describe. In response, the other cast members could do nothing but strongly agree and urge my notation that there’s more that goes into production. It’s months of work, planning, and preparation. 

The work and dedication put forth from set design, props, lighting, costumes, and the time spent in order to create the perfect shade of eyeshadow for the individual characters in makeup, is attention to detail, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. I am proud to report that the show could not have been performed by a more dedicated, committed, and talented group of people.