There was only one week until the opening night of Ferndale High School’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the actors were buzzing with excitement (and nerves). Director Crissy Ford provided some encouragement to her cast before their first full run-through of the show.

“If you have a short line, don’t throw it away – say it with gusto!” Ford told the students. “Every bit counts!”

Ford and her directing partner, Rachel Pringle, have led Ferndale High School’s award-winning theatre program since 2015. For seven years prior to that, they directed budding thespians at Ferndale’s elementary and middle schools. The four student-led musicals they produce each year are some of the most well-attended and anticipated community events in Ferndale.

Ford and Pringle both believe that their collaborative partnership is what has kept them coming back year after year.

“I’ve told her that if she quits, I’m going to quit too,” Ford said, laughing. “I like to have people around me that are as enthusiastic about this as I am.”

“By now, we can just finish each other’s sentences a lot of the time,” joked Pringle.

Their first collaboration was in 2008, when one of Pringle’s daughters wanted to join Skyline Elementary School’s production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ford, directing one of her first shows, needed some extra help, and Pringle rose to the challenge.

“She needed a choreographer, and I said, ‘Well, I can do that!’” Pringle said. “And that was the beginning.”

The pair has certain aspects of directing they primarily focus on – Ford traditionally teaches actors the songs and handles stage blocking, while Pringle typically makes the costumes, works on choreography, and tackles the administrative side of things. But they both will take on any task needed to keep the show going.

Ford and Pringle gave a shout out to their adult assistants – from set builder Don Pringle to music teachers Steve Menefee and Jessica Schlichting – and have effusive praise for their talented young actors. They said the students are their main reason for directing.

“There are times where I think that I’m tired and I don’t want to do it for another season,” Ford said. “But when the kids show up and they bring their energy, I think, ‘Okay, I’ll do it again.’”

One of the biggest responsibilities for a high school theatre director is selecting the next show. Ford and Pringle said those decisions mostly depend on the set of seniors and juniors coming through FHS that year – what their vocal ranges are and which musicals would fit them best. For example, they partially chose Hunchback this winter because senior Leo Floyd has a rare high-tenor vocal range – a perfect fit for the lead role of Quasimodo.

“By that point, they’ve developed their skills and talents, so they’ve shown us what they’ve got,” Pringle said. “Then we try to find places where we can use those skills.”

However, the difficulty level of a given musical is rarely a concern for Ford and Pringle. They said there are always enough talented and hard-working young actors to make even the most challenging shows, doable.

“We’re just blessed with a huge number of kids that come with a huge number of different skills,” Ford said. “We rarely find a show where we think, ‘Oh, that’s too hard for us.’ I’m always like, ‘They can do that!’”

Students in FHS’ theatre program have nothing but love for their directors.

“Honestly, they’re like family to all of us,” said senior Leo Floyd, who has done about 20 shows with the directors. “Both of them just really, really care about every person, and it shows in their work.”

“They make everybody feel loved!” added senior Grace Machado, who has worked with Ford and Pringle for 16 shows. “They are so good at their craft – they know everybody so well, they know how to put on a good performance, and they know how to pick and choose things to fit everybody’s skills.”

Ford and Pringle are both excited for the Ferndale community to see FHS’ production of Hunchback. The musical incorporates songs from the 1996 Disney animated movie, while adding in many new tunes from legendary Broadway composers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The show features a massive ensemble cast – it may remind viewers of Les Miserables at points – and a darker tone that hews closely to the classic Victor Hugo novel.

Ford and Pringle said they hope the community will be wowed by the beautiful set, as well as the gorgeous score performed live by high school students.

“I think the audience is going to be blown away by the music and the presentation of that music by our kids,” Pringle said.

“We have this phenomenal music program with these phenomenal kids, and they all pour in here,” Ford said. “So we gave them this difficult music – it’s partly in Latin! – and they can sing it so well.”