Mic Drop: Fundraiser Underway For New Monomoy High Theater Headsets

Imagine this: You and your friends are in the drama department at your high school. Every day you stay after school and work on your lines, your blocking, your stage presence. You spend an entire semester devoted to molding a vision into an executed plan. Finally, opening night hits and you step out onto the stage and you’re about to make this connection with your community and…your headset doesn’t work. 

According to a couple of concerned stakeholders, this is a common problem in the Monomoy Regional High School Theater department.

A campaign is being staged by a group of parents, teachers and individuals within the community to raise funds to upgrade the school’s theater department equipment. Sharon Mabile, parent of theater student Boden Mabile, a junior, explained that the idea for the campaign developed across the last couple of years after noticing the poor quality of the headsets during performances.

“Last year there was one play that my son and his friends were in, and they were, in between scenes, running backstage and passing each other the only microphones that were working” said Mabile, adding that the microphones would even stop working depending on how an actor was positioned on stage. “It was heartbreaking because they work so hard and they get up there and the equipment doesn’t allow them to do what they’ve worked so hard to do.”

Boden Mabile agreed, saying that he and his classmates have a hard time trusting their current equipment. 

“It’s really frustrating and it feels like you’re walking on landmines because you’re not 100 percent sure it’s going to work every time,” he said.

About a year and a half ago, Sharon Mabile said, she began having conversations with former Monomoy Regional High School Auditorium Technical Director Aaron Bolton about what could be done to upgrade the equipment for the department. Bolton, according to Mabile, did an extensive amount of research in which he determined the type of headsets that would be compatible with the equipment within the auditorium. After Bolton left the school, Mabile took on the research and over the past six months was able to assess what was needed and start raising funds. 

“I was hoping to be able to make this happen on my own. I reached out to some of the agents that I work with and I was fortunate enough to have a couple agents contribute to the cause,” Mabile said of colleagues at Robert Paul Properties. “We were able to raise $5,000 between those of us that contributed. It’s a good jumpstart to make this happen but it’s not enough.”

Mabile says that there is a goal of $10,000 to improve the headsets for the theater department. Having these new resources for the spring musical would be incredibly helpful, according to newly hired district auditorium manager Jordan Roseman.

“This system was installed over 10 years ago and they put a lot of money into it,” said Roseman. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t been maintained and some vendors we’ve called haven’t necessarily installed the right equipment.”

Roseman noted that the spring musical, “The Adams Family” will need 10 to 12 new headsets for the variety of performances in the show. He says that the extra funding will allow the kids to reach a higher performance level.

“We need that extra distance to make sure we have enough microphones. And now that I’m here, I can assure everyone that this equipment will be maintained and used properly,” said Roseman. “We need to be able to hear the actors, that’s the bottom line. If we could get that little extra help, that would push us over where we need to be.” 

Rebecca Riley, music teacher at Harwich Elementary School and director for the high school spring musical, explained why having new headsets is critical.

“This funding would be so beneficial to our program as it would help to update our systems. We have a Broadway-caliber space with technology that is no longer up to date,” said Riley.  “After all the work, preparation and passion put in by the kids and team of adults, it is so disheartening when their beautiful singing voices can't be heard due to faulty microphones and an out-of-date system. We have been doing our best with what we have, however, the equipment is old and ready for an update.”

Riley said the district is “very supportive of the arts and our programs are thriving. Whatever donations that can be made toward the program are greatly appreciated and we will give back by creating engaging and exciting theater and music for our community to enjoy for years to come!”

Monomoy senior Faye Viprino noted how the cast could perform with a greater sense of confidence if they were able to upgrade the equipment.

“We have our mics wired through the hallways, the dressing rooms, and the big music room behind the stage. We listen to the speakers for our cues, and if the mic stops working, we can’t hear anything,” said Viprino. “It would allow us to feel more confident where we are — stay out of the wings and have our bigger set pieces there instead of just a bunch of people waiting to hear their cues. Obviously, the audience would hear a lot of stuff better.”

While headsets may seem inconsequential to some, Sharon Mabile perfectly summed up the plight of the theater department.

“Imagine a football team,” she said. “If they had to share helmets between their offense and their defense every time they ran on and off the field because there wasn’t enough for each player to have, there’s no way a community would stand by and watch that without making sure the kids had the proper equipment they needed to be safe and successful. These kids — the arts and the music and the theater — that’s their sport and the stage is their field and without the proper equipment they can’t shine.”

To learn more about the program and how to donate, email Sharon Mabile at sharon@robertpaul.com.