A Story of Brotherhood: 14th Grade Players Present True West

BY DZHULETTA AVANESIAN

                 

Fourteenth Grade Players present True West Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14-16 at Lisner downstage.

The cast and director see the show different than any student theater performance before it. It takes a classic script and brings a new look to it. The cast is experienced and bring their best for this tale of two brothers. 

“It's really one of the best acted shows that I’ve seen in student theater,'' says Kevin Palermo, who plays Saul.

This is the second show directed by Jeremy Neff and his direction appears to transform the famous script.

“Jeremy has come to this play in such a different way than any director I have ever worked with,” said Andy Brown, who plays Lee. “I have never had a director who got this deep into the text and it has been a huge help to me as an actor.''

The play was written by  American playwright Sam Shepard in 1980 and is the story of two brothers, Lee and Austin, who struggle because of their family background and present emotional states.

“The two brothers have not seen each other in years and think that they have nothing in common,” said Josh Bierman, who plays Austin.

The play will leave its audience with different reactions because it has a variety of both sad and funny moments.

“I want the audience to leave thinking about things a little bit differently and maybe even go home and call their family and say, hey, I love you,” says Bierman.

The title of the show is not only related to the story but also makes the audience think about self-existence and future.   

“One of the reasons that this play is so important now particularily to a college audience is as much as it's about old family issues, more of it is about trying to define yourself and that's where it gets its title,” says Neff.

The plays exemplifies the family dynamics perfectly and the scenes are relatable to diverse members of the audience.

“It's a very interesting examination of family dynamics and also what it means to be successful, which is applicable in any time period,” says Rachel Matusewicz, who plays the Mom.

The show costs five dollars and begins at 8:00 PM on Thursday and 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

It Was The 14th Grade Players, In The West Hall Blackbox, With "Clue"

     

                                                       

By Dzhuletta Avanesian

The 14^th Grade Players opened their production of “Clue” over the weekend. The show premiered in the West Hall Theatre on the Mount Vernon Campus and ran from Oct. 17-19. The show was directed by Cameron Hopkins and sold out each night.

“The opening night was very exciting, it was great to see what people were laughing at and not, so we would tweak it to make it funnier than it already is,” says Dillon Lewis, who played Colonel Mustard.

In 1986, Jonathan Lynn wrote the comedy-mystery film based off the board game. Each show has the possibility of three separate endings, leaving the audience always on the edge of their seats. The play depicts the era of McCarthyism.

While some members of the cast avoided watching the movie prior to the show, some could not resist. “I really hate watching movies more than once, but Clue I can watch over and over again,” said Hopkins.

“I think that the show captures the sensationalism of the era and American culture. I think its really important and a fun thing to see, especially living here in D.C.,” said Samantha Nesfield, who played Mrs. Peacock.

The board game still entertains many of the actors and crew members of the show.

“Clue is one of my favorite board games. All the time when I was a little kid, I have never won the game. So, I thought that it would be revenge if I got cast and won Clue,” says Maddie Farrington, who played Miss Scarlet.

   

The West Hall Blackbox offers unique opportunities compared to Lisner Downstage, which is the other student theater venue. “It’s substantially different on the production side because you can do so much more with this theatre than the downstage, where you can’t do much with lighting,” says Artistic Director Emily Messing.

The setting of the play is a giant mansion with lots of rooms. “We got it on stage pretty realistically and that makes it really special, fun, and exciting,” says Nick Kelly, who played Mr. Green.

              

The audience laughed every 15 seconds and actors had to handle the situation of keeping in character.

“The hardest thing that we all have to deal with is not laughing at each other. We are constantly biting our tongues or pinching ourselves trying not laugh,” says Farrington.

The play took place during midterms week and colonial weekend. Audiences members could rely on this production for a nice break and a laugh during such a stressful week.

“Everybody needs to laugh. The show is a comedy and it’s a great place to go, relax, and just laugh,” said Lewis.          

   

Upcoming student theater shows include Rent from Oct. 24-26 in the West Hall Theatre, The Diary of Anne Frank from Nov. 8-10 in the West Hall Theatre, The 19th Annual Rocky Horror Picture Show from Nov. 8-10 in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom and True West from Nov. 14-16 in the Lisner Downstage.

Photo Credit: 14th Grade Players 

14th Grade Players Play It Up

By Shoshana Cohen 

Only a month into the school year, the 14^th Grade Players came out with their first performance of the year marking the beginning of the student theater season. Running Thursday until Saturday in the Lisner black box theater, the Players preformed a trio of one acts that ranged from thought provoking to over-the-top hilarious.

The evening opened with The Little Prince, directed by Angelina Hoidra, a sophomore in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. It’s the tale of a pilot has crash landed in the Sahara Desert and meets the Little Prince, who tells him of  his many adventures in faraway planets and the unique characters that live there. Each actor brought to life the character’s hyperbolic personalities. Hoidra’s one-act stood out from the rest because she based it off a French children's book, including some of the original French dialogue in the show. 

“I've always loved the book,” said Hoidra. “I left some of the original French content in just because it makes it a bit more surreal.”

The next show was of a lighter tone. Fat Joey, directed by Meghan Bernstein takes place at a high school's 10-year reunion. Each character ended up having some kind of emotional scar from their tyime in high school. 

“I can relate to my character,” says actor Connnor McInerney who plays Carter, a hopeless romantic still crushing on his prom date.

The night ended with a final one-act that had the audience falling out of their chairs in laughter. Breaking the Chain, directed by Ro Kalonaros, a senior in the Colombian College of Arts and Sciences, is the hilarious tale of Jessica, who refuses to send a chain letter that her kooky neighbors sent to her to bring them good luck. Jessica wouldn’t buy into what she thought was just a gimmick. The money and prizes her neighbors began to receive couldn’t even change her mind. 

When asked about why she chose this particular show, Kalonaros said, “I thought it was hysterical when I read it and I just had to do it!”

When the show was over the audience gave a huge round of applause. 

“I thought that The Little Prince was super deep and emotional and beautiful and I couldn't stop laughing at the other shows,” said junior Donna Ra'anam-lerner. 

“This is the best thing that 14^th Grade Players has ever put on,” commented her friend, Roxane Goldburge, a junior on campus.

Kate Lips, who played Talia in Fat Joey, says that the rehearsal process has given her great chances to make new friends. 

“We see each other so much that we have grown quite close,” said Lips. “It's nice to have a solid group of friends.” 

The 14^th Grade Players say they pride themselves in always remembering to have fun while working on their performances. Even before the show, everyone was joking around and having s great time.

Their next show will be Clue, but if you can't wait that long for your next theater kick, check out Generic Theater Company's Freshman Showcase taking place in the Lisner black-box theater next weekend.