TJ drama students liven up the stage by breaking down the fourth wall.
Artwork by Katie Boyer
Spartans bring excitement back to the TJ stage as it is announced that student directed one-acts will take place instead of Phantom of the Opera by the previously cast students.
Along with a different play entirely, show times have also changed and are now on April 14th, 15th, and 16th at 7:00 p.m. Drama Teacher and Theatre director Michael Palmieri comments, “The eight plays will deal with humorous human nature. They’re fun, shorter pieces and some will even break the 4th wall.” Breaking down the 4th wall is when actors speak directly to the audience through the camera, acknowledging they’re on an imaginary set performing a play. The comedic plays that will be performed are I Can’t Think of It Right Now, Void, First Impressions, The Callgirl of Vassar, Return to Sender, Parasol Universes, The Security Guard, and the student-written play, The Song of Forgetting.
Through losing Phantom of the Opera, TJ actors gained a chance to direct and produce one act-plays. Palmieri said, “Though it was a bummer when it was decided that Phantom of the Opera could not continue, I think this will be good for everyone. Now students get a chance to direct and produce their own plays, as well as act in others. I think it’ll make for a great show.”
The directors, cast and crew were chosen from the pool of the Phantom of the Opera cast. Palmieri said, “The auditions for directors and cast were only open to Phantom students, since they had experienced the loss the hardest. From then, some students decided to not be a part of the show, but most of them were excited to have bigger roles. Now, instead of just one star, everyone’s a star in one act or another.”
The directors (and sometimes actors) will be Seniors Michael Kutz, Anna Romero, Zach Salas; Juniors Whitney Hackbarth, Connor Hickman, Keith Hussey, and Sophomore Jordan Antonio.
Void and The Callgirl of Vassar student director Senior Michael Kutz said, “I’m looking forward to directing. I worked tech crew in Noises Off! and realized it was really fun to be in theatre. I like one-liner jokes, and these one acts are full of comedy. It’s gonna be a good show, more than most probably expect.”
Palmieri bought the rights to 16 scripts in total, and student directors then chose seven plays as their own, except one director. Palmieri comments, “One of the directors, Anna Romero, decided to write her own script, The Song of Forgetting. So, she’ll actually be writing, directing, producing and acting this spring. She is following in the theatre style of Clint Eastwood.”
Writer and producer of her own one-act, Anna Romero, an active member of the theatre comments, “Being able to write and direct in my own one-act is a really cool experience. It’s difficult to teach people where their places are and where they need to go, but I’m learning how to. This is one of the positives of losing Phantom of the Opera.”
Senior Zach Salas, co-director of The Song of Forgetting, shares the enthusiasm for the show. He said, “Directing live theatre is a lot different than making videos. It’s challenging but I’m very excited and looking forward to it.”
The Spring cast will be Freshmen Cora Gains, Alida Kops, Gerri Kutz, Sophie Mercer, and Sophomore Tori Wallace. Working alongside the cast will be the crew, consisting of Freshman Aidan Jared, Juniors Will Bowen and Connor Hickman. “The directors will definitely be included in acting positions in the one-acts, and in these kinds of productions, even the technical crew may end up on stage,” said Palmieri.
While this is a smaller project than Phantom of the Opera, Palmieri says many good opportunities can come from this. “Students now have the chance to run a show entirely by themselves. I’ll be present to oversee everything, but I’m not going to be directing. It’s going to be a great show with talented students.”
The stage for these shows will be smaller, and so will the room for the audience. Tickets will be very limited so Spartans should get theirs soon for five dollars; available from any student involved in these plays. Show times are 7:00 p.m. on April 14th, 15th, and 16th. Come support your fellow Theatre Spartans!
