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.