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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear, “Crosstown?” Probably something along the lines of sweaty sports players, Bengal Pride, and competitors locked in combat. What about teamwork? Cooperation between schools? Close, interwoven friendships? Within the World of the Thespians, this is generally the norm. Crosstown plays were once a twelve-year tradition, before they came to a brief halt for two years. Just last year, the tradition was brought back to existence with the production of Guys and Dolls. This year, the production of choice was the remake of an old George M. Cohan classic, 45 Minutes from Broadway.

Initially, the play starts off as most do. You (as an audience member) are introduced to the characters, you are presented with the conflict, then onward and upward with the rising action, climax, and conclusion. In this rendition of the production, we see a class of theater students trying to agree on a play they want to produce. One of the more egotistical, conceited, students clumsily trips on a suitcase and bumps his head hard enough to knock him out. While he is unconscious, he has a dream about George M. Cohan’s play, with his friends and peers taking over the given roles. It’s an interesting beginning to an older production that gets the audience engaged early on.

With the tragic fire and the damage done to the Little Theater, the production could not take place there as was originally intended for two of the showings. Instead, it took place two times on the Capital Theater Stage, and twice in the Big Theater over at Helena Middle School. The set was somewhat limited, but worked perfectly for what they needed (a set that could be somewhat easily moved from one space to another).

Thirty-one students, ranging from grades 9 to 12, from both Helena High and Capital, participated in bringing the show to life. There were a few struggles, as there always are in live productions, but overall, the high school cast of 45 Minutes from Broadway worked hard and appeared committed to their work. The performances themselves were all successes and well received by the audiences on all four nights, and as Director Rob Holter said, “The Cast members knocked it out of the park.”

It takes a lot of work to get a show up on it’s feet, and it takes everyone involved to do it. The exemplary collaboration from both schools and the ability to work as a team, is one of the beauties of Crosstown when you’re a thespian.