Stagecraft Students Build Set for Fools

With hammers, drills, saws, and paintbrushes in hand, Bill Johns’ Stagecraft students are bringing the set for Fools to life.

Fools is the 7/8th grade play that opens in two weeks in the Fulton theatre. The Neil Simon play centers on a town that is cursed and makes everyone ignorant. 

Teachers Bill Johns and Mollie Montgomery have been working with the students to design, create, and transform the stage into a small village. “They’ve done a lot to this point and used every tool in the cabinet,” says Johns. “This point in the process is where they’re seeing how good their work is looking. I come in, and they’re already hard at work and excited at what they’re making.”

Kunal S. (’20) is one of Johns’ students. It’s his second production and he says it’s a way to connect with the theatre community. “I’m not really comfortable with my acting skills, but this gives me a place to contribute,” says Kunal. “I love Stagecraft because it’s a mix of woodworking, painting, and design. Each day is never the same!”

When the show opens in November, Kunal and his Stagecraft classmates will be sitting among the audience. He takes pride in their construction work. “In the beginning, you feel like you’re just putting pieces of wood together, and it doesn’t look like anything. Now it looks like a set, and that blows me away.”

You have four opportunities to see Fools. The first show is Thursday evening, November 8. There's a second performance on Friday evening, November 9. And there are two shows on Saturday, November 10 with a matinee and a final evening performance. 

Click here to get a behind the scenes look at the Stagecraft students hard at work in Fulton.