Digging Deeper Than Face Value of the Text
Fall 2013: "30 Reasons Not to Be in a Play" by Alan HaehnelPlot
Stage kisses, pinkeye, inciting World War III - these are only a few of the many things that can go wrong during the production of a play. In a series of hilarious examples, our young actors commandeer the stage and explain why drama is a very dangerous thing that must be avoided at all costs. Notes This play really forced our actors to think backwards. The comedy was obviously a farce that relied on sarcasm, so it often meant looking at what was said and exploring the subtext behind it. This show also took some brave risks "breaking the fourth wall" by having student "protesters" in the lobby and roaming the aisles before the show started! |
Spring 2014: "The Beatles Slept Here" by Craig SodaroPlot
Though Sgt. Paprika — who inexplicably despises the Beatles — has tried to keep it a secret from the world, word gets out that the Fab Four spent a night in his Penny Lane Hotel. When a group of high school students publicizes this historic tidbit, Sgt. Paprika is incensed and fires Eleanor, the hotel manager. Meanwhile, his sister, Clarabell, schemes with a crooked psychiatrist to have Paprika committed to Happy Acres, an insane asylum! Would that make him the fool on the hill? Help! A Beatles fan club arrives with all their memorabilia, which gets stolen by Mr. Mustard and his gang, bumbling art thieves who have slinked into town. Detective Johnny B. Good is called in to solve the crime and quickly zeros in on Sgt. Paprika as his prime suspect. It’s been a hard day’s night for poor Paprika, especially when the Beatles mysteriously appear to him in the middle of the night, proving he’s gone over the edge! But here comes the sun as Eleanor and the high school crew work it out, and Paprika gets by with a little help from his friends! Notes This show teamed thematically with the Marjorie Luke Theatre's season honoring the 50th anniversary of the Beatles arriving in the United States. For many of the cast and crew, this was their first introduction to the Beatles and their music, which meant detailed deconstructing of a script littered with Beatles references and inside jokes for Beatlemaniacs. |