drama guild presents tales of love and depravity
On Thursday, Mar. 15, the Drama Guild took the stage to perform two original plays. The first, Unlucky at First by Deborah Tearman, tells the story of friendship and love in a nursing home. The second, The Murder Castle by Madalyn Thompson, uncovers a little-known story from American history: that of its first serial killer, H.H. Holmes.
“The Drama Guild started work on these plays at the beginning of February. They rehearsed one or the other of the plays every day after school,” said club advisor Mark Lajiness. “Originally, about 20 students were interested, but with jobs and other activities, about 10 students were able to commit to a month or so of rehearsals.” The crowd was larger than anticipated. “We had 30 programs printed, but those ran out quickly.” It appears that about twice that number showed up. Lajiness was pleased with the results. “It is always satisfying to see a play grow into existence over the weeks of rehearsals,” he said. “The two student writers were able to shape their own creations as directors. The writers went through the process of casting their plays, putting together appropriate costumes and set, and directing the running of scenes.” He was also pleased with the efforts of the cast. “The players wanted to help their friends' plays be as solid as possible,” said Lajiness. Drama Guild meets during I-block. They do some improv, talk about plays or movies they’ve seen, and talk about future plays or theatrical events they want to perform. “There's usually a lot of laughter,” said Lajiness. “If students are interested in acting, costumes, set-design, or working on a stage crew, they should check out Drama Guild.” The Guild is thinking of performing Peter Pan or a play involving pirates for next year, “but nothing's set in stone yet,” said Lajiness. Mr. Lajiness encourages students to join. “Check us out,” he said. “We're fun.” Unlucky at First by Deborah Tearman Margie (played by Amanda Schueler) is a 73 year old widow who hates living in the nursing home. She has to fend off unwelcome advances from an amorous resident named Clint (played by Thomas Miller) and deal with cranky demands from another named Edna (Whitney Skinner). |
Her family tells her her about the fun classes the home offers, but nothing helps. Then she meets Clint. She rebuffs his initial overtures, and they fire one liners back and forth. But he begins to grow on her, and they develop a friendship. Margie decides that he might be worth her time. More of a skit, this brief one act play touches on relatable themes such as adjusting to new surroundings, meeting new friends, and making the best of a situation. Margie and Clint are drawn with humor and insight by Tearman, showing that love is for people of all ages. The Murder Castle by Madalyn Thompson Chicago, 1893: The world gathers in Chicago for world fair. But beneath the world of this “White City” lurks H.H. Holmes and his “murder castle.” Two narrators open the play, one providing history, and the other wanted to tell the grisly story of America’s first serial killer. Three travelers descend on Chicago, Winnie (Amanda Schueler), George (Thomas Miller) and Ava (Deborah Tearman) who check into Holmes’ inn. After George and Winnie find Ava dead, they discover the truth about Holmes: that he has constructed a diabolical building with rooms that are actually gas chambers. The Murder Castle is told with a mixture of humor, mystery and suspense and portrays a little known event from history. |