The Brooker | Volume 1 Issue 3 | January 2024

Volume 1, Issue 3

The Brooker

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February 5, 2024

TAS “Switches It Up” with Freaky Friday

The cast sings Just One Day during their first dress rehearsal

Photo by Gabriella Sun

By CLINTON KILROY

Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.” 400 years after his time, the theater retains its charm and essence because of the men and women who are the theater’s players [actors] and background workers. The sparkle of stage lights, the lovely tune of the band playing above, the melodies sung by the talented performers, the masterfully crafted set pieces, and the expertly acted performances all make the experience gained from a live performance irreplicable, making each one special to where the play is performed.

The Stony Brook School’s Theatrical Arts Society (TAS) will be presenting the Disney Musical Freaky Friday from the 8th through the 10th of February. The play follows the premise of a mother and her daughter living in Chicago switching bodies and having to

carry out each other’s daily responsibilities.

The mother must face the hardship of high school with aspects such as a large scavenger hunt and difficult classes while, in turn, the daughter balances the difficulties of business management, parenting, and an upcoming wedding. The mother and daughter, named Katherine and Ellie Blake, respectively, must resolve their hostility toward one another to get through each other’s lives and somehow find a way to get back into their original bodies. Along the way, they encounter many characters who become roadblocks on their journey, including Savannah, the popular girl at school, played by Violet Radgowski; Adam, Ellie’s love interest, played by Christian Duryea-Kelly; and the teachers: Dr. Ehrin, played by Sunny Lee; Mr. Blumen, played by Alex Paval; Señor O’Brien, played by Chris Ding; and Mrs. Luckenbell, played by Jemi-

ma Kirabo.

The initial scene working and choreography came quickly for the actors, but the adding of details such as character mannerisms, projection, and specific adaptations given to characters by interpretation took time. But ultimately, it all came together to present a show of great vocal and acting talent.

One challenge that the actors were faced with was fitting into the mold of their characters. Since acting is the art of interpreting and becoming a character who isn’t necessarily super similar to the performer, learning to adopt that character can be a challenge, especially for newcomers, but the team was supportive and actors quickly adapted. As Sunny Lee, the actor for Dr. Ehrin, said, “As a new person in TAS, I think it’s a fun place to act; I make mistakes and everyone reassures me.”

“FRIDAY” continues on Page 2

Recently, there’s been a revela- match in cute pink or red clothes are to watch movies, have a What is tion that this is just a bad way to while eating chocolate and cele- sleepover, decorate, bake, play a holiday. Holidays are brating their friendship. games or video games, or just Galentine’s Day? celebrate days that are supposed to cele- Now, a lot of guys probably watch TikToks around each

Everyone knows about Valentine’s Day. The same thing happens every year where couples give each other cheesy presents and many single people watch the couple TikToks and make themselves even sadder. There are also those who don’t celebrate and just ignore the day. And those who were expecting something from someone but ended up with nothing.

brate something. If you’re someone who either doesn’t want to celebrate with a date or simply doesn’t have any options, then Galentine’s Day is the right option for you.

Typically, Galentine’s Day is a day where girls and their friends celebrate the day together and either have a party or hang out and

don’t want to celebrate this way, but you can still celebrate by hanging out with friends and getting pizza instead of ignoring the holiday. Galentine’s Day is a day of appreciation and celebration of those that you do have. It’s a good opportunity to remember to be grateful for those whom we spend time with day-to-day. Some ideas

other and have dessert.

Enjoy the fun of a holiday with friends, family, or even pets rather than wasting the day, and remember the importance that all kinds of people have in your life! Happy Galentine’s and Valentine’s Day!

-Maya Venkatesh <3

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the brooker

FRIDAY

february 5, 2024

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 For the background workers (Green Room, Set, and Tech), hair styling, furniture stability, and sprinkling large amounts of flower petals onto the stage were among the tedious issues dealt with during production. However, as the actress for Katherine Blake, Julianna Sparacio, put it once, “Making art is a unique type of bonding,” which made the process of crafting and perfecting a show such as this one worth it despite the difficulties.

Even though the actors are the ones performing and refining their acting/singing, that does not mean that they are the only ones giving their time and effort to the show. A great number of both students and adults were also present helping to refine the show so that everything would be the best that it could be. The directors Mr. Ramirez and Mrs. Smith were responsible for giving notes on performances, planning choreography, and teaching the songs to the cast. The stage managers (Emily Yao, Kai Judex, and Hanna Shi) gave extra notes on performances, helped review choreography, and changed scenes. The Green Room, meanwhile, made the actors look presentable while the Set Crew furnished the stage with props and furniture. Last but not least, the

Photo by Joshua Kim

Humanities Council sells potato-fied teachers

By JOSHUA KIM On Monday the 22nd, the Humanities Council undertook their first fundraiser: selling stickers of SBS’s teachers as… potatoes!

The stickers were a hit, as evidenced by the fact that they sold out just two days into the planned five day run, much to the dismay of

The Brooker

THE STONY BROOK SCHOOL 1 Chapman Parkway, Stony Brook, NY, 11790 thebrooker@sbs.org Volume 1, Issue 3

Photo by Rachel Tong Ariel Yu applies makeup to Gabby Quitzau before a rehearsal

Tech Crew, staffed by people such as Emma Chen and Sam Meltzer, was in charge of the special effects and lighting, making sure the show ran smoothly. Without these people and groups, the show simply wouldn’t be possible.

TAS had had Freaky Friday on its radar for some time, but had never had the opportunity to stage it until recently. Last year, TAS had decided on staging Hello, Dolly! as a way to indulge the audience with a blast to the past.

But with the worries of modern life growing greater by the day, TAS chose to stage a musical this year that shows two people struggling to understand each other’s circumstances and

eventually reconciling in order to remind the audience of the importance of empathy and compassion, a sentiment more important now than ever.

Therefore, if you wish to see a once-in-alifetime student performance showcasing a mother and daughter switching bodies and eventually coming to understand each other’s lives, then come see the show! Buy your tickets off the portal or through email! It will be a performance worth going to. And in just a couple more days, the enchantment of the theater will be put on full display and the masterful creation will be unveiled. Enjoy!

You Have Been... POTATOED!!!

students who had hoped to continue buying stickers until Friday.

The inspiration for the potato stickers came in AP Bio, where Boya Zhang, a member of the Humanities Council, was doodling on Naomi Zhao’s iPad. Boya happened to draw Mr. Altug as a potato, which Naomi brought to the Humanities Council. The Council was enthusiastic about the idea, and Boya, along with Christine Li and Theo Wang, spent the next few weeks, the weeks leading up to winter break, working on illustrating the stickers.

Once the drawings had been finished, Christine, in China, had the stickers printed while Emma Chen determined the pricing for the stickers. After break, the stickers were brought over from China, and the Humanities Council set about advertising the stickers over PA,

Left to Right: Mr. Smith, Ms. Slade, Dr. Morley

email, and poster before finally setting up shop outside Kanas.

The Humanities Council plans to direct the funds from the potato stickers toward the printing costs of their flagship publication, Paumanok, as well as any other costs that may arise from their various offerings, including Creative Writing Club and the Honeycomb Literary Club.

Editors: Autumn Nichols, Joshua Kim Writers: Clinton Kilroy, Maya Venkatesh, Joshua Kim Advisors: Ana Arias, Brontte Hwang Story idea? Email thebrooker@sbs.org

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