Fall Show 

If you’ve ever been to one of our school’s drama productions, you know that our (true) theater kids are quite committed. However, this year, we’re trying something a bit different. Rather than doing a musical or a well-known play, directors Samuel Plotkin and Jeremy Wainright have decided to put on something out of the ordinary: a comedic play featuring the stages of a relationship. What’s different about that? It’s not just one show… It's ten. 

The cast of this show includes: Aiden Kalantarov, Carolina Viegas, Charlie Goldberg, Kyra Henriquez, Melina Roussis, Michael Paladino, Niki Skulikidis, Rylie Aguilar, Samantha Wysocki, Susana Zavala, Victor Georg-Hyun, and Yadiel Morales.

Now, one might wonder… How exactly do they plan to put on ten shows? To elaborate, the entirety of the production will feature ten short scenes featuring the progressions and moments of relationships meant to mirror real life, with a comedic twist, of course. The students, or actors, in this show, will have the chance to play large parts in multiple of these scenes. Not only is this different from what many of them have partaken in before, but it also allows them the opportunity to really hone their acting skills. Besides the scenes, they will introduce the words and love letters of famous historical characters as the show advances. At first the show didn't even have a name, but the directors eventually landed on "Love Notes".

When learning about the format of the show, “I was excited, but a little nervous”, noted Susana, a key cast member of the show. “I didn’t know how it would work with casting… or what scenes we were really going to do”, she explained. Melina had similar sentiments about the show, mentioning how she felt it was “interesting” and that you “definitely have to think about it”, but when it comes together, it’s really funny. She also remarked that her favorite scene is “Boise Idaho”, one that she stated as being “absurd” and “very messy”, further reflecting the show’s comedic disposition. Aiden, a theater kid newcomer, expressed discontent with the unorthodox nature of the show, mentioning that he does wish he were doing a normal show for his first time acting on stage and not one that was so “scattered.” Despite this, he feels that it is a “good and unique experience” and values the opportunities provided by the type of show. He is currently unsure of whether or not he will do another show, not because he hasn’t enjoyed the experience so far, but because he prefers being backstage with Stage Crew, specifically looking forward to potentially taking the role of stage manager in the near future. 

Mr. Plotkin shared his own thoughts about the show. When asked about his decision to do this show, he explained that he had originally wanted to do a show like this 4 years ago, but ran into bureaucratic issues in the process of getting it approved. He had actually wanted the different scenes to be directed by students who were interested in getting more involved at the time, as a learning experience. This show began as 20 comedic shows centering “love”, realizing it would “be a 3-hour show”, he “cut a lot of them and figured out how to make them float together by doing the different stages of a relationship and unite them all with the idea of love notes”. He asserted that this type of show allows the actors to have more opportunities than a standard show, “because they get to play multiple parts…Most of the parts people play are very different from one another and very different from what they have played before. There are also a lot of new actors that get to experience this….where not everyone is needed every night… we have smaller groups… And it also gives people, since it’s so intimate, a chance to explore the characters themself”. 

In general, our school’s drama department allows many different students to find involvement and purpose outside of school. They can interact with one another, be creative, and have a good time. For some, it provides a sense of community, friendship, and even family. As stated by Rylie, he participates in these shows because his friends do, knowing that being a part of these shows will provide him with fun and a good time. He looks forward to spending more time with these friends and celebrating a well-done show at the cast party, which is hosted after every show at Nana’s Ice Cream and Coffeehouse. According to Susana, her favorite thing about the drama department at our school is “Mr. Plotkin”. Despite having said this jokingly, most of us can acknowledge that Mr. Plotkin is an integral part of our school’s drama scene, making sure each show is great. With all of the jokes and remarks he makes during rehearsals, no one can help but laugh– or squint at him disapprovingly. His humor is only one of his great qualities. Plotkin, while “not yet at liberty to tell the masses”, does know what the spring musical is going to be, though mentioning that by the time this is published, everyone might already know– “It’s possible,” he hinted slyly. In terms of next year, he is currently considering period pieces, such as Shakespearean plays, just to shake things up a bit.