The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

The Student Newspaper of Cathedral Catholic High School

Dons Press

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Drama on stage – cast, crew…audience?

Drama on stage - cast, crew...audience?

Passing by the drama room after school, students are bound to be greeted by the cacophony of mirth and laughter streaming out of the usually open garage door. What appears at first glance to be simply a gathering of a people having a fantastic time is actually the ongoing preparation for the upcoming play, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Senior Colin Arnold, who plays Chip Tolentino, noted “Rehearsals are fun. We get a lot done while still enjoying ourselves.”

Ensemble member Attie Harris, senior, attributes the incredible productivity of rehearsals to the minimal amount of actors. “It’s a small cast, so we’re able to really perfect all the details,” said Harris. A smaller cast affords Director Ms. Katie Wilson the opportunity to work more thoroughly with each cast member in the development of each individual wacky character.

With only sixteen people, the cast is unusually small in terms of CCHS productions; however, Ms. Wilson believes the audience participation truly breaks the mold of former fall plays by adding an air of excitement and unpredictability to the show. “We never know what is going to happen when we put audience members on stage,” said Wilson.

Audience members can volunteer to participate in the show by going to a booth in the lobby beforehand where they will be briefly interviewed and asked to fill out a form that tests their ability to spell basic words. The interviews simply help the cast gauge individuals’ personalities because Ms. Wilson hopes to bring up four entirely different people in order to liven up the show.

The improvisation aspect of the show is certainly entertaining for audience members, but very challenging for actors. As Ms. Wilson said, “There’s a facet of this show we’re never going to be able to predict.” That unpredictability tests the actors, challenging them to stay in character througho          ut moments over which they possess absolutely no control. Though the cast might try to imagine how the improvisation will pan out, they can never really be sure.

Actors have plenty of time to tone up their improvisational skills because, according to Ms. Wilson and Harris, rehearsals are coming along smoothly. The only problem the cast has experienced thus far is the amount of material to memorize. The show is full of large and uncommon words that the actors must learn to spell correctly in order to uphold the personas they represent.

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It takes both skilled actors and a reliable crew to bring a show to fruition. The actors need the tech crew to construct concrete representations of the scenes they act out; without actors, the set that the tech crew has spent so much time on sits unused – nothing more than plywood, paint and nails.

Junior Patrick Szczotka and sophomore Jennifer Valente head this vital department. Szczotka said, “People don’t often realize how much work and detail goes into the show.”

Tech always has its difficulties, but this show has proved especially challenging for the tech crew with the loss of many seniors who graduated last year. Last year’s seniors comprised a vital part of tech; both Szczotka and Valente agreed that the behind the scenes aspects of the play have suffered a great loss with the graduation of the seniors. Szczotka and Valente have had to step up to the plate and utilize everything they learned from the seniors that the tech department misses so dearly.

Though tech sometimes feels its work is undervalued, they do not necessarily crave attention. Valente mentioned, “We aren’t really the kind of people who will jump on stage in the middle of a performance anyway.” However, that does not mean that only the actors have all the fun. Both Szczotka and Valente agreed that tech certainly has its fun moments during times like tech week and the performances.

Szczotka assists Ms. Wilson in managing during the shows and Valente runs the sound booth, but other crew members work behind the scenes to ensure the play is a success.

For example, senior Zak Myers heads the props department, which is responsible for every single prop used throughout the production.  Lane Tarantino is in charge of makeup, and both Erin Wolkenstein and Brittany Finley manage the chaos of the costume department. Like one of the core ideologies of our nation, united those groups come together to prepare a terrific show, but divided they could not possibly prepare for the production.

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Audience reaction also constitutes a large part of the play. In selecting a show, Ms. Wilson said she “always thinks about what the audience will take away from the show.”

At a glance, the show appears to be nothing more than the accentuations of the eccentricities of a group of quirky kids trying desperately to win a spelling bee.  When further examined, the show proves relatable to the everyday lives of ordinary people.

Just like the kids in the play, human beings are often competitive and feel inferior when they do not succeed in their efforts. However, as Ms. Wilson said, “All you can really do is try your very best and keep on persevering. We’re all going to lose or come in second place occasionally. We just have to realize that it’s okay.”

The pr,oduction premiers on Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. Audiences may also view the play Saturday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.

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Drama on stage – cast, crew…audience?