After weeks of rehearsals, middle school students took the stage in Dillingham Hall on July 15 and 16 to perform “Frankie Builds Androids” as part of Punahou Summer Programs.
The 60-minute musical follows Frankie, a brilliant but socially awkward inventor who replaces her classmates with android replicas programmed to eliminate their perceived flaws. Featuring a contemporary synth-pop score and plenty of humor, the sci-fi comedy explores themes of individuality, belonging and community.
Students in grades 6 – 8 spent the summer developing their vocal performance, choreography and character development skills while working together as an ensemble to prepare for the production. At the same time, 11 middle school students enrolled in a concurrent stagecraft course learned about technical theatre and script character analysis while helping build the set and props, design costume pieces and run technical elements for the performances.
Although a production of this size typically rehearses for 80 to 100 hours before opening, students prepared “Frankie Builds Androids” in just 45 hours. Family members, friends and the Punahou community gathered to watch the cast and stagecraft students showcase the results of their work in the fully staged production.
Photos by Kathleen Connelly