The prop could be a backdrop of an island taverna awaiting the arrivals of three possible fathers for a soon-to-be bride.

It could be a podium set for nine nervous or confident contestants to showcase their spelling skills, or lack of, and personalities during a spelling bee.

Or the props could be in form of compliment to congratulate, praise, and thank the high school actors and actresses, singers, musicians, stagehands, production assistants, ushers, and everyone else involved in two entertaining extracurricular endeavors.

The taverna was installed this past weekend on the Mendota High School auditorium’s stage for MHS’ production of “Mamma Mia!”.

Words spelled correctly or incorrectly took place March 8-10 on the Amboy High School auditorium’s stage for the musical, “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Everyone who was on stage, backstage, directing, or following, in either show, should stand up, wherever you’re reading this, right now, and take another bow in acceptance of more props.

Because of schedules, I was able to attend “Mama Mia!,” but I couldn’t make it to a practice. The opposite occurred for “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” where I sat in on a rehearsal but couldn’t attend the three showtimes.

Whether it was a packed auditorium, or I was the only one in a seat, I saw the hard work, the time commitment, and the excitement to be in a musical.

Besides when it was called for from the script for their character, I didn’t see a frown or hear a pout. I didn’t see any signs of an I-don’t-want-to-be-here attitude. When asked to repeat something or during anticipation of an upcoming tough note or pitch, there wasn’t quit.

When schedules of sports, jobs, schoolwork, having fun as a teenager, and the musical overlapped, they pushed toward doing the best they could in everything they were involved in and in turn did the best they could on each stage.

As a student, I thought plays and musicals were easy, being I was never in them.

Seemed like just another day after school where they sang a few lines, acted like someone they weren’t, cracked a joke, shook a shoulder, and they were done.

Easy.

As an adult who realizes the amount of effort it takes to do just about anything, outside sitting on a couch, flipping through channels, and eating a bag of Ruffles, I was transfixed on watching the commitment level and the dedication pour through the students’ pores more than I was concerned on whether they hit a note correctly or misplaced an arm during choreography.

In 2024 when the consensus thoughts are people don’t want to work, volunteer numbers are down, and kids would rather play video games than act, sing, or play a sport, the students in the musicals were 100 percent bought in and 100 percent gravitated the audience’s attention to them because of their effort.

Not easy to do by any means.

I heard people in Amboy talking about “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and when I was at a showing of “Mamma Mia!,” I only saw illumination from one phone, which was to record a scene.

Absolutely incredible and much deserving of props, words. Mad props. Big props. All the props.

Thank you for putting in the time to present an entertaining night out.

Not just the students, but to the music directors, band directors, teachers, and administrators who have the challenge of putting the show together by guiding and keeping the kids together.

Big props.