The crucial part of all live performances happens behind the scenes, both before a production has debuted and during its run.

Both Moorpark College and “HAIR” are celebrating their 50th anniversaries, making this theatrical production even more special to both faculty and students. “HAIR” hearkens back to a time when themes of harmony and love clashed with the turmoil of the Vietnam war. Such themes are particularly relevant now, especially considering the marches and protests we have today.

Behind every successful show is a cast and crew willing to work long and hard hours. Skilled actors and stage technicians may make a show look easy, but what the audience does not see is how many months of work went into putting it all together. From casting to the final bow, many students and faculty are present and involved throughout the whole process.

Brian Koehler, Technical Director, spent months thinking about and planning for the musical, “HAIR” about a year in advance. Due to the fact that Moorpark College has shows going back to back, working on the musical had not officially started until November of 2016.

“Usually companies get months if not years to put up a show this size,” Koehler said. “So doing it in less than a couple months is quite the undertaking.”

With such little time to get the job done, directing a successful show can be very challenging. There is so much happening behind the scenes that no one outside the production would suspect.

“What people see is the end result,” Koehler said. “What they don’t understand sometimes is that we are here for 16 hour days to make this happen.”

Koehler is not the only one putting in all the time and effort in making the show run smoothly. Every single person from the prop master to the director, is as important to the final product as the cast on stage. There are so many people in all the different departments such as hair, costume, music, and more helping to make this show come alive.

John Loprieno, Theatre Arts Department Chair and Stage Director, has been working hard on “HAIR” well before winter break.

“We had two preliminary auditions, (one music, one dance), and a callback that took about five hours,” Loprieno said. “We had about 78 people audition and ended up casting I believe 42.”

Once the audition process is through, that is when rehearsals begin and each department becomes more and more important. There will never be enough time in between auditions and the live show. That is something that Loprieno enjoys about theatre.

“The thing that’s nice about theatre is you never feel as if it is finished. You are never ready, the audience just begins showing up,” Loprieno said. “It is a process that keeps going on and on making our students push themselves to keep getting better and stronger.”

Every student and production member involved in “HAIR” has incorporated something incredibly special to the production, making this musical one to watch out for.

“To have multiple people’s ideas gel and make a much bigger, more elaborate end result, is what we strive for,” Koehler said.”

HAIR debuts March 2 at 8 p.m.