HHS Alumni Make Sure the Show Goes On
by Artie Mayer, husband of Gail Schwartzman Mayer, Class of 1973
Most of us remember those Hollywood Golden Age movies wherein a planned spectacular show about to make its debut suddenly is in jeopardy because either the lead star quits and walks off the set, the financial backers pull out of the deal, the truck carrying the scenery crashes and burns, or some other unforeseen event. In most of these cases, Fred and Ginger, Mickey and Judy, even Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall come up with solutions that ultimately save the day; the show goes on and it’s a hit, there’s a musical fanfare as the credits roll.
Well, not to such a dramatic degree, this was the situation at Hicksville High this past March and this is the back-story to the production of this year’s musical, Legally Blonde. The performers were all there, including the wonderfully talented musicians in “the pit” and the scenery was all in place. The off-stage drama was centered around the technical booth area we all pass by as we enter the Chuck Arnold Auditorium, where lighting, sound, and the videotaping of all theatrical productions, awards assemblies, and speaking engagements originate. Missing from this tech center was the technical director/teacher. The role of this “Tech Wizard” had been wonderfully handled by a teacher who retired at the end of the 2024 school year. A newly hired teacher assumed responsibilities for the videography and production programs in September, but suddenly resigned early in this school year leaving a huge void going into the production cycle for the theatrical production, Legally Blonde. Emma Mayer, a graduate of the class of 2024, heard about the troubles plaguing the recording of the play’s production and, though busy with her own work as a freshman in college, she communicated with her former teachers and decided that she wanted to assist and called several of her fellow graduates from the “Tech Crew” who also attended local colleges. Responses were unanimously in favor of helping out their school with the play’s technical production. Emma was enthusiastically “welcomed home” by faculty involved with the play’s production and no one was more receptive than Hicksville High School's principal, who arranged for school access clearance for this ad hoc team of alumni that included Emma and fellow graduates. Many hours between college courses, homework, and other responsibilities were spent in the HHS auditorium technical booth rehearsing with the high school crew members and faculty advisors, and, when the curtain finally went up on the first of three scheduled play performances, the show was successfully recorded for posterity. 
The show’s program members expressed special thanks to the efforts of Emma and her assembled crew of alumni for their assistance in the technical production of the very well-received annual play!
PS: This storybook ending is not the end of the story…Weeks later, it was time for the school’s “Talent for the Troops” fundraiser which raises money for veterans and other military-related organizations. Emma and her fellow seniors, along with the balance of the Tech Crew, came to the rescue again and video-recorded this fundraising event also. The tech crew happily returned to HHS, giving back to the school that gave them a great education.
