Student cast and crew reflect on McMaster Science Musical as curtain gets set to rise on annual production

Percy and Charlie are first-year science students starting their new lives at McMaster University. Their excitement is quickly interrupted by the heated rivalry between the two most polar opposite programs at Mac – Chembio and Biochem. This long-running battle has gone on for years but a scientific breakthrough by Dr. A. Minnit offers a solution that could end this feud once and for all – time travel. Mac to the Future is filled with friendship, drama, fights galore and science of course. Will the Chembios and Biochems mess up the timeline or will they find a way to get Mac To The Future?

The McMaster Science Faculty Musical is a student-run theatre group that creates and performs an annual original jukebox musical related to the lives and experiences of McMaster science students. Previous productions include Phantom of the BSB, Yellow Brick Avenue, If/Else, Little Lab of Horrors and ABB!

All proceeds from ticket sales and concessions will be donated to the MacKids Music Therapy Program.

Mac to the Future runs for four performances in the Robinson Memorial Theatre (Chester New Hall) on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 28 with shows at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Order tickets here.

Here’s what some of this year’s new and returning cast and crew had to say about being part of the MacSci Musical.

Ciara Kinsella – Molecular Biology and Genetics Research Specialization and Co-op and fourth year in the MacSci Musical, cast member

“I’ve been in theatre for almost my whole life and absolutely love it. It’s an amazing creative outlet and something productive and fun to focus on even when other things are hectic. I knew I wanted to be a part of a musical when I went to university. The MacSci Musical seemed like an amazing opportunity to combine my passions for science and theatre. I auditioned and was fortunate enough to get in and had a fantastic experience. I knew I had to come back year after year.

The best part of being in the musical is the people. We have such a great team and everyone is fun, inclusive and positive. This makes rehearsal such a fantastic environment. I love seeing my friends and working on something all of us are so passionate together.

I didn’t know anyone in my first year with the musical but I wanted to be in a show. So I went and became a part of something where I knew no one and ended up making so many great connections and some of my closest friends. The musical’s taught me to just try something new, even if you don’t know anyone. You never know the amazing experiences you could be missing out on if you don’t.

Even if you don’t know anyone or feel like you don’t have enough experience, apply for the MacSci Musical. We have many people this year where this is their first musical. It is such a fun experience and everyone is friendly and happy to make new friends. I know auditions can be scary but everyone there wants you to succeed. Just be yourself and show that you care.”

Jia Sy – Life Sciences and first year in the MacSci Musical, cast member and social media videographer

“I’ve always had an interest in the performing arts but never really had the chance to pursue it before university.  Joining the MacSci Musical felt like the perfect opportunity to finally explore that interest and try something new.

I love the dancing in the musical but what I enjoy even more is watching the script gradually come to life through the incredible work of our actors, musicians and crew. Being part of a full musical production was completely new to me.  Learning choreography and performing on stage definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. It’s been exciting to challenge myself and see how everything comes together in such a collaborative environment.

The MacSci Musical has such a welcoming community and creates a real sense of belonging. Whether you’re interested in cast, crew, orchestra, or other roles, there are so many ways to get involved and express yourself you might surprise yourself with how much you enjoy it.”

Mia Penner – Biology – Research Specialization and second year with the MacSci Musical, lights crew

“I’ve always enjoyed theatre and was involved in tech for a couple performances at my high school. When I was in first year and heard that the MacSci Musical was looking for crew members, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get involved at the university while learning more about something I enjoyed.

I had a great experience last year and decided to return. Both years I’ve made props and designed and operated lighting. I get to express my creativity while working on designing the lighting for the show. The musical gives me more balance by letting me work on a more creative project, something that I don’t get to do a lot while studying science.

I also really love that I’ve gotten to know so many amazing people on the crew.  Last year, the upper year students I met on the crew gave me advice about choosing a program, finding off-campus housing and university life in general. This year, I’m doing the same for the first years in crew. I’ve made some great friends through the musical and I always look forward to working with everyone each week.

Designing and programming stage lighting was totally new to me and I was surprised at how quickly I learned and how much I enjoyed it. My role in the musical last year inspired me to sign up for a theatre and film design course as an elective which has been really fun and helped me learn a lot more of the technical elements of lighting design.

The MacSci Musical is such a fun way to get involved here at McMaster. Don’t worry if you don’t have experience, you will learn so much during your time here. Whether you are in crew, orchestra, or cast, you will join a group of talented, hard-working, and supportive students working together to put on an incredible production. Getting to see everyone’s work pay off during the shows at the end of the year makes it worth it.”

Katriene Vandenberg – Combined Greek & Roman Studies and History and first year in the MacSci Musical, orchestra member

“I joined the MacSci Musical because I enjoyed being a part of a musical in high school and I wanted another chance to play the tuba and be a part of a larger production. I’d been to several McMaster plays the previous year that friends of mine were a part of and they encouraged me to join.

I’ve enjoyed not only the music but also the community. Everyone is very welcoming, supportive, talented, and inspiring. I’ve been able to build friendships with people from different disciplines through our shared love of music and theatre.

The MacSci Musical’s pushed me to connect with others I would not have otherwise met and to work on my musical ability as one of few bass instruments in the orchestra.

Anyone who is interested in joining the Musical should absolutely audition. There is so much to gain from experiences like this and it’s important to get involved and create a community while you’re at university.”

April Wei – Honours Chemical Biology Co-op plus a concurrent degree in Mathematical Science and fourth year with the MacSci Musical, orchestra director

“I have always been involved in music ensembles and performance although I grew up on the classical side of training. I’ve been playing piano since I was four years old and wanted a fun way to participate in a music ensemble during university, which is hard to do on the piano since it’s not exactly an orchestra or band instrument. I also wanted the opportunity to play multiple instruments for one ensemble – I play cello and flute and recently learned both the bass guitar and viola.  The musical gives me the opportunity to play multiple instruments for one production (although I only play cello and bass guitar as extras). I am also a huge fan of Broadway in general, and I love arranging scores for ensembles, so the MacSci Musical was essentially a glorious combination of all the elements of music that I love. I started conducting and arranging for the musical in my second year, which I still do now as the Orchestra Director.

Our orchestra’s instrumentation expanded significantly this year. We’re comprised of 24 musicians ranging from woodwinds to rhythm to strings to brass – the whole shebang – and I’ve been so delighted to arrange for such a talented group of musicians. This is the largest range of instruments I’ve ever written for and I am truly grateful that they are playing music I arrange. It’s incredibly touching.

Conducting was completely novel to me when I first joined the musical. I picked it up in my second year with absolutely no experience. Of course, I had been in multiple ensembles with conductors so I knew what it looked like… sort of. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, and my fellow conductors can agree that the first time you conduct, you just feel awkward waving a stick around.

Growing up, I always thought I belonged to the theory side of music. I loved performance but found solace in writing sheets upon sheets of scores. When I picked up conducting, I realized how much I enjoyed hearing the full, rich sound of the orchestra and how much I loved interacting with all the different instrumental sections. Now, the conductor’s podium is my comfort zone, and the baton is my main instrument. I certainly owe it to the patience of current and previous orchestra members for tolerating all of my weird and wild conducting habits.

Be prepared to have the time of your life when you join the MacSci Musical. It can seem daunting given the amount of time we dedicate towards it, especially during tech week – five hours of rehearsal every day. But the experience makes you forget the stress of school and other commitments you have. It’s the annual event that keeps me from burning out from constant studying. The people you meet will become your second family and you will never have as much fun in another club as you will in the musical.”

Jacquelyn Pohl – Math and Computer Science and fourth year with the MacSci Musical, stage director

When I first signed up for the musical, I wanted to get more involved with clubs at Mac. I’ve always loved watching and listening to musical theatre so I sent in a crew application to see if there was any way I could help with the production. I ended up operating lights that year and completely fell in love with theatre tech and I’ve been helping with tech and stage managing for the MacSci Musical every year since.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most this year has been getting to hear all the brilliant ideas from the production team and helping bring them to life. It’s really rewarding to see how all the pieces come together, whether that’s adding a silly sound effect, asking crew for help on a comedic prop or helping solve a small problem during rehearsal. I also really enjoy the collaborative aspect of it – everyone brings such creative ideas, and it’s fun getting to work together to turn those ideas into something that works on stage.

This year the rehearsal process has been something completely new to me. In previous years I spent most of my time working with crew so it’s been really interesting to see a different side of things. I was a bit nervous about the change to stage director at the beginning of the year but it’s been wonderful watching the dances, blocking, and singing come together and getting to appreciate our amazingly talented cast.

If you have the passion and the time, you absolutely should join the MacSci Musical. It’s a really lovely community and it’s taught me so much during my time at Mac. There are so many ways to get involved and express your creativity, whether that’s acting, playing an instrument, or painting a set piece. Every bit of help we can get makes a difference.