March 23, 2011
The
Meet the
playwrights By Michael Rothberg The annual Playwrights Festival, which features original one-act plays written, directed and performed by students, is scheduled to begin Thursday April 14 and end Sunday April 17. After auditions, the cast list for the festival was announced on Feb. 28 by performing arts teacher Chris Moore, and rehearsals began in early March. “Let’s all work together, have fun and make some terrific theater
Series A
A&E B11
ChronicLe
10 student plays will be performed at the Playwrights Festival April 14-15.
together,” Moore said in an email to the actors, directors and writers. “I’m most excited to be in a show that was written by someone I know, and today during the read through, it was different than anything I had ever experienced,” Megan Ward ’13, who was cast in “Three Little Words” by Kelsey Woo ’11 said. The one act plays are divided into two sets. Series A features “Platform Nine,” “Lavatory Unrest,” “Step,” “A Walk to the Vet”
April 14 at 7 p.m., April 16 at 8 p.m., April 17 at 2 p.m.
and “Three Little Words.” Series B consists of “…Or Not to Be,” “Roommates,” “Dropped Stitches,” “Buried Alive” and “Oh No!” Scene Monkeys, a comedy troupe of students directed by Michele Spears, will also perform for the festival. “Since I have never acted before, the festival was a great way to get involved in theater,” cast member Leslie Dinkin ’13 of Monica Sullivan ’13’s “Lavatory Unrest” said. Tickets are on sale now at www. hw.com/boxoffice.
Series B
April 15 at 7 p.m., April 16 at 2 p.m., April 17 at 7 p.m.
‘Steps’ ‘Oh No!’
By Elana Zeltser ’13
It’s about...“the relationship and underlying issues of two step-siblings with nothing in common.” Inspired by...“my personal experience in a more dramatic context.”
By Alex Valdez ’11 & Arielle Basich ’11
It’s about...“a murder in a mansion and people try to figure out who committed it.” Inspired by...“we both like Agatha Christie a lot and wanted to write something mysterious.”
‘Platform Nine’ ‘Buried Alive’ By Rebecca Moretti ’13
It’s about...“Two kids meeting at a train station in the middle of the night. They are running away, going in opposite directions but searching for the same thing.” Inspired by...“the search for meaning and identity that is especially heightened during the teenage years and the loss of innocence that comes with it.”
By Wyatt Kroopf ’12
It’s about...“a grave robbing couple who have relationship issues.” Inspired by...“the relationship between Bonnie and Clyde.”
‘Lavatory Unrest’ ‘Dropped Stitches’ By Monica Sullivan ’13
It’s about...“a Catholic all-girls school that becomes a co-ed school. They build a wall to divide the girls’ bathroom, and the guys realize they can hear through the wall” Inspired by...“this book, “Fly on the Wall”, about a girl who changes into a fly and goes into a boys’ locker room.”
By Dani Wieder ’12
Inspired by...“a book about the events of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, and I was so moved by the story that when I found out this year was the 100 year anniversary [...] I couldn’t write about anything else. It was too perfect.” It’s about...“the lives of women who worked in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in the early 20th century.”
‘The Walk to the Vet’ ‘Roommates’ By Cathy Mayer ’12
It’s about...“a guy on a walk with his dog while he thinks about people he’s met in the past and meets them during the walk.” Inspired by...“a thought about a guy talking to his pet and the pet talking back. From there I expanded it about the guy.”
By Anna Witenberg ’13 & Natalie Markiles ’13
It’s about...“a crazy old lady and average young boy helping each other discover themselves under the same roof.” Inspired by...“family plus “Big Momma’s House” plus the “Teenage Dream.”
‘Three Little Words’ ‘...Or Not to Be’ By Kelsey Woo ’11
It’s about...“the first time people say, ‘I love you.’” Inspired by...“a pretty universal and common thing that people can relate to.”
By Leland Frankel ’12
It’s about...“a day in the life of a failed Shakespeare actor who works as a Santa in the mall during holiday season.” Inspired by...“taking my nervous anxiety and chanelling it into the character.” photos by nathanson’s