Dos Pueblos Theatre Company (DPTC) will present their production of “Curtains:” set in 1959, the mystery comedy musical follows the investigation of the lead actress’s murder right before a Broadway opening night. To prepare for opening night, the stage crew and pit orchestra of DPTC is working hard to diligently building sets, making costumes, practicing music, and working on light and sound sequences.
The construction crew has been contributing to the musical and has been responsible for designing and building the set. The production of “Curtains” calls for multiple environments and a theatre setting within the theatre. Furthermore, part of the set involves a saloon inside a schoolhouse.
“I’ve been working on the bar table of the saloon for a long time, but it’s almost done,” said Skyler Kennedy (10), a member of the construction crew. “There have been a number of people who have been working on the bar table, but I’ve been working on it the longest.”
Kennedy, who first became involved in theatre at Goleta Valley Junior High School, said she enjoys watching her hard work take shape onstage. For newcomer Ruby Green (10), construction crew means being part of something she’s always admired, as well as being able to connect with friends.
“I’ve always liked the musical, and I enjoy going to it every year,” Green said. “I’ve wanted to do something where I can contribute to it, and I already knew that I liked building stuff. I was able to learn new skills and make friends.”
The crew begins by planning out the set pieces, led primarily by technical and scenic director Elena Ibbetson, who oversees aspects of the show such as sound, lighting, and stagecraft.
“I am with students every day, building, getting the set together, hanging lights, getting microphones set up,” Ibbetson said. “Basically everything that doesn’t have to do with actors singing and dancing [is] my jurisdiction.”
Ibbetson starts the designing process by reading the script thoroughly. Then, she sketches her initial ideas and identifies both logistical needs and creative opportunities.
“You just go through [the script] and you go, ‘Okay, what do we physically need for these scenes to make sense?’” Ibbetson said. “After that, you can kind of get more into the artistic [aspects].”
Her ideas are then translated into a three-dimensional Computer Aided-Design (CAD) program, giving her students a drawn-out plan to follow.
For “Curtains,” Ibbetson took inspiration from spaghetti Western films.
“There’s this kitchy Western version of Robin Hood in the show,” Ibbetson said. “So for that aspect, it was looking at old spaghetti Westerns and how those sets were made and the colors used for things like that.”
Ibbetson is also incorporating elements of old historic theatres, aiming for a “darker, grittier, more lived-in feel.” She plans to adapt the set to the natural appearance of the Elings Performing Arts Center (EPAC).
“The plan is to just use our bare theatre with some embellishments as a backdrop for some of the scenes,” Ibbetson said.
One of Ibbetson’s favourite pieces from her set of “Curtains” is a theatre catwalk. After its first use, the piece will split apart, rotate, and reconfigure into two separate structures, highlighting the production’s intricate stagecraft.
After design comes construction: framing, laying flatwood, and painting. With rehearsals approaching, the crew is finalizing their set pieces for the actors to use onstage next week. They are also starting to organize with the lighting designer, sound designer, and preparing for the addition of the pit orchestra.
“It’s fun to see it come together, and it feels good to be a part of the show,” Kennedy said.
The costume team is also deep in preparation. According to Cassia Shive-Hamilton (10), who helps with mending, buttons, seams, and measuring, the musical’s Western theme will be reflected in the wardrobe, meaning men’s tops will have fringes and women will have poofy, frilly skirts.
“There’s also been some corset altering, which has been really cool,” Shive-Hamilton said. “I’m really excited to see these outfits put together, because we’ve had two of them done, and they just look really good, and I’m excited to see them onstage.”
Shive-Hamilton, who performed in last year’s “Mamma Mia!” was also part of the construction crew for DPTC’s 2024 fall play “Our Town.” However, Shive-Hamilton says she is now branching out into new territory and so far has enjoyed costuming.
“I’m finding it really fun. It is definitely not an easy job … but it is a really fun place to hang out,” Shive-Hamilton said. “All the people are really great. I’ve had an incredible time with just learning new things.”
Shive-Hamilton added that the new skills she has acquired from being part of the costume team can be applied beyond the theatre setting. She has always wanted to alter her own clothes, and being a part of the costume crew has made her more comfortable with doing so.
“I went in knowing some sewing and all that, but even if I knew some of the stuff, it actually made me more confident to do stuff on my own clothing, and more confident to branch out and actually try some stuff for myself,” Shive-Hamilton said.
In the pit, the orchestra is tackling a different set of challenges. Sophia Salts (10), who plays xylophone, glockenspiel, and keyboard, says that the orchestra’s role is to support the performance seamlessly, even if that means not being in the spotlight.
“The goal is for the audience to not know we’re there,” Salts said. “If they don’t know we’re there, we’ve done such a good job that we sound like the soundtrack.
Salts was also part of the pit orchestra for last year’s production of “Mamma Mia!” However, she says that the instrumentals for this year’s show are very different. The scores for “Curtains” introduces more complex key signatures such as G-flat major and F-sharp major.
“I would say the challenge of it all reminds me how important it is that you do a good job,” Salts said. “It’s a lot of pressure on us, but you don’t really see that. Especially for this show, the piano parts are a big part of the sound.”
Salts describes performing in the pit as hours of sustained concentration and resilience. Despite this, she has been able to connect with her peers and enjoys her time with them.
“We have a lot of fun in the pit,” Salts said. “There’s so many jokes and rituals we have that it feels like a community. That’s another thing I really love about it — it’s all band kids who already are together all the time in their other classes.”
As opening night approaches, students across all departments continue to refine their work with the goal of bringing the production to life.
“I’m really excited. I think it’s going to be really great,” Green said. “I’m really hoping that all of the work we’ve done will really show.”
Tickets for “Curtains” are on sale now on GoFan. Showtimes are on May 7, 8, 14, 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. and May 9 at 2 p.m and 7 p.m
Updated photo captions 4/13/26
