By Brianna Meeks
For something that only results in three nights of fame, putting on the school play takes a large amount of work. Auditions were the second week of school, and since the cast list has gone up, two months of learning blocking, memorizing lines, and building & painting the set have gone into the production of Noises Off, which is playing this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
This year, the theatre department increased student leadership opportunities, including those for technical director junior Brett Wood and student director senior Alyssa Sera Josep. These two students, among others, have been an integral part of the design and production of Noises Off. They have both put long hours into making creative decisions and supervising other students in the building of the set.
Sophomore Kyle Ebbets said, “I’m very proud of Brett for putting together the beautiful set that he did, and I know that I’m not the only one. He’s a really smart and gifted guy.”
Wood and Sera Josep are not the only ones responsible for creating a funny, well-run show; the actors develop their characters throughout the rehearsal process by experimenting with different vocal and physical traits, a process that can only come when an actor knows his or her lines well enough not to concentrate on them.
The show itself is a British farce, a comedy characterized by highly exaggerated and improbable situations. This gives the audience a glimpse into the lives of the actors and stagehands that put on fabulous (or in this case, not so fabulous) shows. For Noises Off, this means featuring doors that refuse to open and a small group of actors driving each other crazy.
If the Tuscarora cast does well, the audience should expect a well-run, professional show that makes them laugh. People do make mistakes, but talent can cover those up. Junior Jenny Samios shares, “Even if we screw up, it’ll still be hilarious. Actually, it’ll probably be even more hilarious.”
The added pressure for this show is that it is the school’s Cappies show. Critics from all around the Washington D.C. area will come to Noises Off on Saturday evening, writing reviews for the show and giving certain student-run aspects of the show the chance to win Cappies awards, the high school rendition of the Tony Awards.
Wood and Sera Josep, along with the stage manager, senior Jessica Matera, and the actors will all be eligible to receive Cappies awards. Their performance Saturday evening will determine whether they receive any awards or not.
Noises Off is showing this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 pm. Tickets are being sold online at http://tuscarora-hs.ticketleap.com/noises-off/ and at the door $12 for premium seats and $10 for reserved seats (note that online tickets have an added $1.60 to the total cost).
