Blair Players: Franco Berrett

On April 13, the curtain closes on the final night of Blair's spring musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet. Another successful musical for Blair Theater. A month later, Blair sophomore Franco Berrett reflects on his second Blair performance.

Getting the role of Captain Tempest came as a surprise for the young actor, especially considering the speed with which he had to prep for his audition. "I spent a few weeks preparing it and just went for it," Berrett said. "I think that helped my audition a lot ‒ not being super anxious about it." The young performer's singing chops definitely contributed as well. Though his first show was last year, he's been singing since he was little.

The next few weeks after the audition would bring lots of laughs and anxiety for Berrett, particularly the week before opening night colloquially known as "tech week." It's when the cast and crew iron out any last minute details about the performance, which can lead to conflict. "Everyone's all on edge and angry at each other," Berrett reflected. "That goes for the cast and the director."

"Looking back on the shows, Berrett feels that the performances themselves could have flowed better. "We had a limited schedule this year," he said. "It was about five to six weeks when it's usually about eight, so I feel that if we had more time it would have felt more natural."

Watching the audience react to well-known songs was a major highlight of performing. "Seeing the audience nod their heads and going 'yeah I know this one' is always fun to see."