Enter one of the theater classrooms and you will see mysterious, interesting items: dazzling, elaborate costumes, a number of half-disassembled props, and a scattering of stage equipment, arranged neatly on the small stage.
The most distinctive part of the theater department, however, is the student actors, animating the school year with their performances. Earlier in the year, the school was treated to a production of Legally Blonde, which was a great success. Now, the student body has the freshman shows to look forward to.
Freshmen shows are productions directed by upperclassmen and acted out by the Advanced Theater I class. Work on these shows was started at the beginning of the spring semester, with rehearsals conducted during class. Flyers seen posted around the school boast three productions: Rumors, All in the Timing, and The Mustache.
“All in the Timing” (directed by Aaron Ruiz) is a selection of three works by the playwright David Ives. This show will be on Thursday May 9th at 6:15, and includes freshmen actors from Advanced Theatre 1 classes such as Kayla Bahr and Josh Harris.
“The Moustache” (directed by Jen Sloan) is about a political leader named Phil who needed help becoming a better leader. Trying to look more confident, Phil grew a moustache that quickly became his alter ego. David Bomer plays evil Phil Stevenson, while his moustache is played by Sullivan Siebken. The Moustache will be performed Friday, May 3rd at 7:00.
“Rumors” (directed by Courteney Kenyon) stars Jude Benham, Kim Young, and several other freshmen. The play features a group of middle age, rich friends discovering that their best friend shot himself on the night of his anniversary. Hilarity ensues as they cover for their best friend’s attempted suicide and unravel the story of the night’s events. Rumors will be performed Saturday, May 4th at 6:00.
“These particular shows are being held mostly because that’s just what we do – we perform shows because we love it,” theater teacher Aaron Johnson said.
These shows will be accompanied by refreshments, and there will be a silent auction. There is also a suggested (but not required) donation of $3.
“The donation goes to the Drama Activity account, which we use to fund our productions, primarily,” Johnson said. “This includes paying for royalties, building costumes and purchasing materials to construct and paint the sets.”
The freshman shows are 100 percent student produced: everything from the casting to the set design to the performances. They will be performed on Friday, May 3 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 4 at 6 p.m. in the Little Theater (A117).
