Closing the Curtains
By JANELLE TENGCO | Feb. 22, 2020 | Student Life
On Feb. 7, 2020, Stanton College Preparatory School’s drama students unveiled their efforts and knowledge about stage design, acting, and directing with the first showing of Student One-Act Plays. For this year’s performances, the student-led production had prepared a total of five plays: “noun: does not follow a rule,” “Hagmuire’s Quirky Quest,” “Red Cave University,” “Ice,” and “The Stone in the Sword.”
photo by Prachi Misra
Prior to the official showing, actors and directors alike have made the final preparations with dress rehearsals and undergoing multiple runs. Despite the amount of time devoted to making these finalizations, behind the curtains are individuals who strived to display their interests and skills of the performing arts while enjoying themselves in the process.
“It’s really fun and it was an honor [to perform],” said senior Shaun Athavale, who performed as Merlin in the play, “The Stone in the Sword: An Unfortunate Parody.” “I wasn’t really a part of theater that much during high school and the fact I was able to be a part of a prestigious production meant a lot to me.”
For those who are interested in participating in the annual production, the option of taking theater classes in the Honors or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs are offered. Although classes such as Theater Honors and Acting are provided for students who want to hone their skills in the performing arts, IB Theater allows IB students to become more involved in the production process. IB Theater requires its students to become informed about the history of theater, varied acting styles, and essential skills to master when participating in a formal production.
photo by Prachi Misra
“[IB Theater] is definitely a lot of work and a lot of research,” said senior Eliana Gosiker, director of the play, “Ice.” “But it’s a very fun process for me. You learn a lot about different types of acting and forms of theater across the world.”
During the production process, students collaborate and participate in brainstorming for One Acts’ plays. As one of the student-directors, Gosiker overshadowed some of the main functions of the production to ensure progress was being made among actors and stage designers. For “Ice,” Gosiker had to work alongside her senior co-director, Chase Virta-Steel, as they shared their creativity with the play’s scriptwriter and stage manager, seniors Marissa Munroe and John Mallari.
“I was able to collaborate with my other co-director through our [brainstorming],” said Gosiker. “The development of the creative process between us was a lot of fun [along with] having the ability to take what we know from our workshops and theater classes to give to other kids.”
Preparation for One Acts is an extensive process for both directors and actors. Students spend three weeks preparing and rehearsing before the show is made public to the school.
photo by Prachi Misra
“In week one, [student-actors] start doing table reads,” said senior Maria Dyro, who appeared as a maid in the play, “The Stone in the Sword.” “In week two, we start blocking, which is the movement of [actors]. In the third week, we start running through the show consistently. Typically, it takes around three to six weeks to put on a show in a high school setting.”
Like Athavale, Dyro believed her participation in One Acts had allowed her to experience what an all-student production is like with the support from her peers. The recent showing of One Acts provided the opportunity for student-actors like Dyro to incorporate their knowledge from IB Theater in bringing their characters to life. For IB student-directors such as Gosiker, One Acts had enabled them to be exposed to different forms of acting and invigorate the production’s scenes with their creativity.
With One Acts, students of IB Theater and Theater Honors are able to showcase their skills and knowledge of the performing arts to Stanton. As One Acts closes its curtains for the year, future actors and directors reflect on its performances as they look forward to the next production.