“Does this look inanimate to you, punk?”

The iconic words of Audrey II, the villain of DM’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, served as a warning, tipping audiences who packed the school auditorium in October to the ultimate fate of humanity. 

But don’t blame the huge flytrap for the end of the world. 

Blame senior Mikayla Glancy–the miracle worker who breathed life into all four versions of the Audrey II puppets that appeared on stage.

“I never really built anything before,” Glancy said. “I felt that everything I did would put me a step behind.”

When Little Shop was picked to be DM’s fall musical, the plans were to rent the different puppets from a third party, because of the complexity of building the puppets from scratch, said Ms. Mumaw, Little Shop director and head of the DM theatre department. 

But Glancy would have none of it.

“I was adamant about not renting the plants,” Glancy said. “I felt that making them would bring a personal touch to the show.”

Murmurs rise and fall, eagerly awaiting the rise of the crimson curtain. Anticipation is thick in the air, programs fluttering and crinkling with impatience. Conversations between parents, students, teachers and friends linger, until the classic signifier of a wondrous production darkens and lightens the room. 

A hush descends upon the audience, the amphitheater devoid of light for just a moment, and with a grand flourish, the curtain rises. The show has begun, one unlike any other staged by Desert Mountain. 

Humor, twists, turns, and gore, alongside intricately designed sets, props, and costumes, as well as a plethora of talented actors await our viewing pleasure in Little Shop of Horrors. 

Mikayla Glancy, a senior at Desert Mountain this year, has always been a staple of our theater program. When you think of Glancy, you think of her numerous contributions to past shows. Now, for one of the final shows of her high school career, she has gone all in, making the incredible puppets of the man-eating plant, Audrey II. Glancy took me on a tour of her work, about a month prior to opening night, and it was impressive to say the least. I asked her a few questions about her work in the program, and on this particular production. 

“What are some of your duties aside from the design of the Audrey II puppets?”

“I have to make all of the other props, like the body parts, and the intestines, fun stuff.” Glancy said, “I have to make the flowers for the shop, we’ve got to have dead ones and live ones. And then, I run two crews.”

Glancy clearly has a lot on her plate, but she knows how to manage her work. She’s been apart of a myriad of Desert Mountain Productions, although this time, her duties are a little different. 

“There is a lot more going on. There is so much to do that there’s never a moment where you sit down and have nothing to do. Like theres always something to be building, painting, constructing. There is always something to do,” Glancy said. 

Organizing her time was perhaps her biggest challenge.

“Having to consult between teachers, and then getting supplies, getting the money to get the supplies, getting it okayed by the teachers,” Glancy said. “That’s probably the hardest thing.”

But the effort was worth it–in creating a monster that would appeal to high school sensibilities.

“It’s kind of scary. It’s kind of freaky – its funny but scary at the same time,” she said of Audrey II, which “grows” to be eight feet tall. “I wanted to leave a legacy.”