On Friday, Jan. 16, the Lake Central Theatre Company hosted “State Preview Night,” which gave the participating actors a chance to present their performances before the competition Jan. 24. There was a variety of categories ranging from musical acts to short films. Most of the actors have prepared for this competition for a few months, especially the cast of As You Like It, directed by Mr. Ray Palasz, English.
“The process is the same as we would have for any production. We start with a read-through, then put movement to the show. We develop the technical elements as well along the way. Where things change is when we think about changes to entrances and exits, the size of the stage or what other technical elements we will or will not have in the competition venue. The really amazing thing is seeing the students successfully adapt to any change in the venues at each level of competition,” Mr. Palasz said.
Not only did the showcase give actors a chance to perform, but members of the community also benefited from this event. Even though there was no entrance fee, donations were accepted to help the family of Matthew Hughes (10) pay off medical bills. The actors and technicians came together to make it a night to remember — not only for the Hughes family, but for the students involved as well.
“[Competitive theater is] so much different than normal theater because we can’t have big productions because we do need to transfer [the sets] to the competitions. Since I am only a freshman, it’s been so cool getting to know all of the upperclassmen and them teaching me what to do and just how fun it’s going to be. I can’t wait until State next week, and Regionals was the best experience ever.” Sneha Shathish (9) said.
As You Like It was performed at the Regional competition, and it was awarded the chance to go to State. Many of the cast members in the show are new to the competitive stage, including Theodoros Karras (9) who plays the heroic Orlando.
“I’ve always loved acting, so knowing that I’m able to compete with a bunch of people that I love and worked with before, I took up the opportunity. With Mr. Palasz being my director, he’s done some things that I’ve never done as an actor,” Karras said.
The Lake Central Theatre Company will be traveling to the State competition, which is being held in Indianapolis this year Jan. 23. The next “home field” performance will be the spring musical, Forbidden Broadway, which will open in March.
