Michiah Swaim as Ice Cream and Molly O’Neil as Marisol. photo by Anja Oss
Palmieri’s Drama Three class presents Jose Rivera’s Marisol November 5th, 6th, and 7th.
Although Thomas Jefferson no longer offers an annual fall production, this year, drama teacher Michael Palmieri is bringing a play to the TJ Black Box theater: Marisol, by Jose Rivera. “I have been wanting to do Marisol ever since I came to TJ, which is ten years,” Palmieri expressed.
Marisol was written in 1992 by Rivera, an Obie award winning Puerto Rican playwright. The show opens with young editor Marisol Perez getting attacked while riding home on the subway, and her guardian angel interfering. Her angel tells her that God is dying, and that the world is spiraling out of control, so the angels are going to war to fix the situation. Without her guardian angel, Marisol has to fight for herself for the first time in a deteriorating city. She meets many interesting people, such as Scar Tissue and Ice Cream, both played by junior Michiah Swaim. “I enjoy my character Ice Cream and Scar Tissue because they are both different from each other yet they both reflect the different stages of crazy in Marisol,” said Swaim. Palmieri summed up the show by saying, “It’s got some humor, it’s got some social commentary. Although written in 1992, it really addresses some issues we’re struggling with now. If I had to say one sentence I would say: Marisol is about urban guerilla theatre.”
Most TJ productions are put on in the auditorium, but Marisol is being rehearsed and performed in the smaller Black Box theatre. “The Black Box theatre is smaller,” elaborated Palmieri, “but that makes it a very intimate event, where the audience is very close to the actors. As matter of fact, the actors at some points are out in the audience, which makes for a kind of unique experience; things like lighting cues, set pieces just kind of spice it up. I think people will recognize the touch TJ theatre puts on things.”
Marisol is only rehearsed during the eighth period Drama Three class, which allows students with limited time after school to still participate in theatre. The cast is composed completely of students Palmieri has had in his drama classes before, many of whom have never been involved in after school theatre. Junior Nick Miller described, “I really enjoy Palmieri’s Drama Three class. It’s a really good activity; I’ve never really had the time to do something like this. Before I thought it was just a waste of my time, but it’s really fun and I’ve learned so much from it and I just love it.”
Though this format allows students like Miller to participate in a full length play, it also presents some difficulties. A regular production is rehearsed for several hours after school for many months, but Marisol is only rehearsed for one class period a day. “We have two months of one class period, so the actors and tech people have really had to work hard to get ready,” explained Palmieri. However, despite the differences between Marisol and typical TJ shows, the quality and production value will be no different. Palmieri stated that “the quality of the performance is every bit as high as we usually set the bar. The actors are spectacular, the Black Box is a great place to see a show, and our hope is that it’ll be a really memorable show,” he added.
The performance dates are November 5th, 6th, and 7th in the Black Box theatre. Due to the smaller venue, there are only 50 seats available for each night, so it is advisable to buy tickets early. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased from Palmieri in room 233.
