LZHS dives into mythology

Theater director Ron Culver laughs as he recalls when he first told technical director Marcel Graham that Lake Zurich High School's first show would be "Metamorphoses."

And to do the show, he needed a pool.

Working more than 20 years in professional theater, Graham said he had constructed ice rinks and rain machines.

"Building a 2-foot deep pool is not something I've ever done," he said. "It is a challenge for any professional crew. Add the fact that 99 percent of the people are high school students."

Graham said his concern was not whether his crew could do it. It was whether there was enough time to build it.

The play, "Metamorphoses," opens tonight and runs through Saturday at Lake Zurich High School's performing arts center.

After making sure the stage within the three-year-old performing arts center could handle the weight of the water, Graham and his crew of 35 to 40 students took two weeks to build the pool.

The exterior, not including upper decks, is 37 by 27 feet. The water section is 20 by 30 feet and is filled with 8,000 gallons of water. The water ranges from 6 inches deep to 2 feet, he said.

When Culver first saw the pool, he thought it was too big. But Graham said he wanted to step it up for the space the pool would occupy.

"I did not want to try a 16-foot smaller pool that would look like a puddle," he said.

The pool was constructed in sections, Graham said, and had to be taken down at one point to clear the stage for the fall concerts and other rented events and then rebuilt again.

"He and the kids did such an amazing job," Culver said. "It will blow people away."

The biggest challenges now are heating the pool, which is done using an electric water heater. Another is caring for the space as groups of actors leave the pool in wet clothes. Graham said he has a crew where all they do is mop.

Culver said the students were excited to perform this blend of Greek mythology and contemporary theater. Adding to the excitement is performing in the pool.

"How many get to go in a pool on stage," junior Charlie Garlock said. "It's an amazing opportunity."

"Metamorphoses" is made up of nine poems that Ovid wrote based on Greek myths that Mary Zimmerman later tied together into one show.

"These myths and what they have to say are still contemporary today," he said.

Junior Kelsey Jaekel said it has been an adjustment to move in the water. But the pool brings a new visual to the audience.

"It emphasizes the actions, and it creates a whole new vision on stage," she said.

The focus on love among the characters is carried through all nine stories, Culver said.

"It is nice to see different stories, different love scenes and we look at love in every character's life," Jaekel said.

Influenced by his love of musicals, Culver is making the production his own by adding music and dance. He said the music gives the emotion more strength. It plays a character as much as the water and actors do.

"It has enhanced the beauty and the true meaning of the relationships between one another," junior Kim Schofield said.

Graham said the school keeps raising the bar as to what they do for each show. He now wonders what will be expected next.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he said with a laugh.