Generic Theatre Co. Brings a Diary to Life

BY DZHULETTA AVANESIAN

        

        

Generic Theater Company presented The Diary of Anne Frank Nov. 7-9 in the West Hall Theatre. More than 100 people came to watch this historical and tragical story of a family, who faced the Nazi regime during the Second World War.

“This show will change your life. It is so powerful and a true story. It makes you think about life a lot,” says director Rachel Bell.

The story follows Anne Frank’s diary, which she kept while hiding with her family for two years during the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. It has been translated into more than 60 languages. Otto Frank, the only survivor of the family published the diary of his daughter in 1947.

“The first time I have ever saw it perfomed live, I went on a field trip with my theatre class from the high school and the end was so powerful, that I was like I need to do this and figure out how to do it for myself,” said Bell.

Bell has been involved with the company almost four years and this was her second time directing.

“Rachel Bell is an excellent director, everybody involved in it is really great, I knew that it would be excellent and it definately turned out that well,” says Clay Miller, who played Mr.Dussel.

Katie Formosi, who played Anne Frank, shared how the cast prepared for such psychologically hard performance.

   

“As the cast we all went to the National Holocaust museum so we could see what was happening during the time not just in Netherlands but all over the world,” said Formosi.

The opening show went well and the crowd certainly enjoyed the show and reacted to its message.

Generic Theatre has two shows remaining in its fall season. Steel Magnolias runs from Nov. 21 to 23 and I am My Own Wife runs from Dec. 5 to 7.

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