Sam Mattei and Olivia Palizzi rehearse their respective roles for the upcoming fall play. photo by Cole Bleichfeld
Seven young actors and one director work hard to perfect a hilarious play.
Every year, TJ theatre students put on several incredible shows ranging from memorable drama class productions in the Black Box theatre to massive spring musicals. As expected, this year’s fall play is one to be remembered. The Nosemaker’s Apprentice: Chronicles of a Medieval Plastic Surgeon is guaranteed to bring boundless laughter throughout the crowds due to its hilarious content.
In the spring of 2016, seven extraordinary young actors were granted parts in The Nosemaker’s Apprentice after countless hours of practicing with a variety of difficult accents and dialects for their audition monologues. On October 14th and 15th at 7:00 p.m., students will finally be able to watch this hysterical farce. When asked to explain the premise, director Tambyr Reed stated, “The Nosemaker’s Apprentice is a farcical take on plastic surgery in medieval times. It’s told through the eyes of a surgeon telling his daughter a bedtime story.”
Despite the small cast, each person holds an immense responsibility in preparing for opening night; nearly all individuals are expected to play two or three different characters throughout each show. As one can imagine, this allows room for major challenges. However, despite the hardships, the cast has persevered and proven themselves as hardworking and dexterous actors. In this play, there is only one female cast member: senior Olivia Palizzi. “Being the female lead is a lot of fun but also a challenge. There’s a lot of work that I have to put into my character to make sure that I present my character the best I possibly can.” Palizzi plays two characters, Julie, a sassy eight year old girl who is being told a bedtime story by her father, and Amelia, a character within the story. Amelia is also the love interest of Gavin, the male lead who is portrayed by sophomore Milan Bartelt. According to Bartelt, Gavin can be described as “a curious and intuitive individual who is in high supply of determination.”
Tickets for The Nosemaker’s Apprentice are now on sale, so don’t miss the opportunity to purchase student tickets (with a valid ID) for only $5, or adult tickets for $10. Tickets bought at the door will be slightly more expensive; $7 for students and $12 for adults. Reed explained, “The show has some adult themes – namely implied medical procedures and extremely flirtatious banter between characters, so no one under 13 will be admitted.” TJ Theatre encourages all students to attend this ingenious comedy, as it is guaranteed to be a memorable performance.
