Starting the week off on Monday, Nov. 5, two groups from the Advanced Theater class, taught by Mrs. Pamela Neth, Arts, performed their scripted shows.
Set pieces of warm greens and browns set the stage for the first show of the night “Mr. Flannery’s Ocean.” The audience’s quiet anticipation was interrupted by the introduction of Mr. Flannery, played by Aaron Cappello (11), who was a grouchy old Irish man with a belief that he owned the ocean. He spent his days yelling colorful insults from his high and mighty terrace at those treating ‘her’ badly. Living at the Southshore Gardens Hotel, Mr. Flannery’s lonely life was interrupted by the arrival of Mrs. Pringle, with whom he readily formed a connection and transferred his ocean into her care in the hope she would form the connection he felt for the ocean.
Along with these two, a man and woman, Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, with a tumultuous relationship and a younger couple were seen at the hotel. The directors of this show, Emily Badger (12) and Alexa Spasevski (11), had the authority of choosing this show for its deeper-than-surface-level meanings.
“[The directors] chose it due to its symbolism in relationships and almost like a past, present and future scenario, where it’s all happening at once. I think it was all of them were the same people in different time periods. Mr. Flannery as a young man, Mr. Flannery as a young boy and Mr. Flannery as an old man,” Benjamin Basen (11) said.
After a short set change, the scene of a familiar coffeeshop came into view. The second and final show of the night was the comedy “How to Kill a Mockingbird,” directed by Claire Anton (10). The irony and humor in the show evoked laughter from the crowd. The miscommunications and eccentric characters were led Dusty, played by Claire Kijewski (11) through their journey of trying to do a group project on a book they never read. From conspiracies about killing birds to disbelief, the characters ventured into confusion. The show ended with a surprise as connections were made and the students realized the truth.
The Theater Production Management class worked closely with the Advanced Theater class to create the technical aspects of the show, including lights, sound and set. The groups have been working together since the beginning of the year, which means there have been a plethora of opportunities to get to know each other.
“I really enjoyed working with Erica Habas (10) on my team. She helped a lot with deciding lighting and sound and helped create the set,” Vanessa Torres (11) said.
