Gallery • 5 Photos

Sakib Asraf

On May 14th and 15th, the Visual and Performing Arts Department put on another lively and entertaining show filled with lots of humor, energy, and emotion. The evening started off with a forty-five minute play which consisted of four different short stories. Following act one were four ten-minute one-act plays as well as one dance performance. Each of the plays touched on different topics, ranging from humorous and joyful stories to the depth and reality of relationships and society.

The first play, “Story Emporium,” was directed by drama teacher Monica Murray and combined four different children’s stories: “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Pied Piper of Hamelin,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and “Little Red Hen.”

The evening continued with plays directed by drama teachers Brett Cramp and Jen Lewis and student directors Elizabeth Ball ’18 and Nick Reed ’18, who are both currently taking a directing class taught by Ms. Murray. Ball reflected on this experience, saying, “It was a lot of hard work, but it’s an extremely rewarding experience, and I was lucky to have worked with such talented actors.”

Not only do the directors gain rewarding experiences, but the actors gain new valuable learning and acting experiences from the spring plays as well. Junior Jonathan Matsko, who performed in the play “The Last Time We Saw Her,” commented, “I really felt like I pushed myself as an actor in this particular play. My director, Elizabeth [Ball], helped me and the other actor I was working with, Kayla, … to challenge ourselves and feel comfortable playing around with different aspects of our scene.”

Matsko, who has previously performed in student-directed shows, added, “I really enjoy working with student directors because it adds to that sense of comfortability that I was talking about. I felt more relaxed and OK with being silly or taking risks in the scenes because I was working with another student.”

The evening concluded with a dance performance choreographed by senior Fosca Bechthold, focusing on the importance of body confidence and self-love. The combination of “Story Emporium,” the one-act plays, and the dance piece showcased the creativity and talent across the Visual and Performing Arts Department. This was evident to audience members, including sophomore Teesa Manandhar, who reflected, “I thought the overall show was really well done. Specifically the spring plays; I really liked the variety of them, from sweet stories to comedy to very real realities. [It was] interesting to see how the actors took on various roles and played them so convincingly.”

When describing her experience with the spring plays and the environment and community of the department, freshman Grace Valaskovic remarked, “The spring plays are a prime opportunity for young and budding theatrical artists to engage in their craft, and the positive attitude of everyone involved is nothing but nurturing to the creative spirit.”

This piece also appears in our May print edition.