Pacifica Stories

Charles Griffith’s Little Shop of Horrors was PACARTS’ first-ever musical production, and this past week our students brought the show to life once again. Our PACARTS students have been working tirelessly all semester to amaze and entertain the Pacifica community with six different shows spanning over two weekends. This is the first PACARTS production directed by Nate Overby, our new Director of the Arts, and it is a huge success. 

Little Shop of Horrors is meant to be a farcical warning to society to guard against giving into our base desires at the expense of our humanity. It follows the story of Seymour, played by Pacifica senior Zane Worth, who works in a down-and-out plant shop on Skid Row owned by Mr. Mushnik, played by senior Harper Mehl. Seymour acquires a strange and interesting new plant, which he quickly learns demands an extreme diet of human blood. Caught between his newfound fame, monetary success, and romance with Audrey (played by senior Josephine Tilford) and his disgust at his own actions to feed the plant, Audrey II (voiced by senior Clementine Herold), Seymour spirals into chaos. This incredible show has audience members alternating between horror and hilarity, laughter and tears.

The preparation for this show has been extensive, especially during tech week, which occurs the week preceding opening night and provides time for cast and crew to work together to put the finishing touches on the show. Amidst late-night rehearsals, costume adjustments, and sound checks, tech week is also a time of bonding for all of our PACARTS students. Our booth crew, which controls the sound and lighting board, spends the week creating cues for the show. Tech crew works to transition sets in between scenes, aid with microphones, and prepare props. The visual arts team created the large vines expanding from Audrey II. The house crew greeted guests, prepared programs, and organized concessions for the audience. All of these separate teams are student-led and frequently welcome new members who want to become part of the PACARTS family. Get an inside look at tech week here!

Our PACARTS students have blown us away once again, and we hope that our Pacifica community was able to catch one or more of their performances. Special recognition to our Music Director, Andres Fierro; choreographer, Violet Comer; assistant director, junior Elijah Segal; company stage manager, junior Amadora Paola; deputy stage manager, senior Lily Battaglia; and lead costume designer, sophomore Dev Jefferson.