Dress rehearsals, stage design, after-school practices, line memorization –  it has been a busy couple of months for Studio VII in preparation for their upcoming production, “Shakespeare in Hollywood,” a play about a magical and glamorous  1930s Hollywood rendition of the popular Shakespeare play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“The show takes place in the 30s, so a lot of characters in the show are based off of real people,” said junior Tyler Crivella about playing the part of Groucho Marx. ”I did a lot of research on who that person is because he’s got a history.”

The time period the play is set in has a significant influence on the production team. In order to immerse the audience in 1930s Hollywood, the production team had to carefully prepare the lights, stage, dialogue, and costumes to fit the era.

“Our director wanted the costumes to be very similar to the movie itself. So we spent time finding what the characters wore in the movie and how those actors and actresses dressed in that time period,” senior Ritika Singh, costume and makeup mistress, said. “I think the hardest part of making these costumes for the time period was to make sure that the right length they have, it’s not too revealing if it’s the character.” 

Along with the cast of the show, the PAC stage is also taking a dramatic makeover for the play. 

“It’s a movie set in the 1930’s. There are huge stage doors and a catwalk surrounding it.” junior and stage builder Valeria Reyes said. “There are a lot of moving parts and surprises within the set, so it’s really cool.”

The show promises an exciting, whimsical, and interesting time. The show runs from Thursday Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. to Oct. 8 at 2 p.m . and  7 p.m. Tickets can be found on their website http://www.studiovii.org/. 

“This show is massive and grand, since it’s on the big stage, and there’s a lot going on, always there’s so much energy, it’s a lot more active,” Crivella said. “I’ll say it’s a lot more funny also. So I think a lot of people love that.”