by Brooke Voelker

To anyone in the audience of any student production, especially a theatrical one like this year’s fall play, the finished product may look as if it had been simple to put together.

But the members of the play would beg to differ.

Under the supervision of English teacher Michelle Jenkins, and the watchful eye of student directors Kaylee George and Joe Orsini, those who have a knack for acting have already finished the first of their two productions, the other being the spring musical.

This year’s play had dual parts. The first was Check Please – Take 3, where two people take part in horrible blind dates and the presence of ridiculous characters is inevitable. The other, Hard Candy, dealt with job interviews for a company, and its antics included the switching roles of a boss and interviewee.

“In Hard Candy, one of the interviewees for a job is dressed as a runway model, Fabio, and we have to stop rehearsal for a minute because no one can stop laughing,” Jenkins said when recalling her favorite moments from rehearsal.

“In Check Please, there is a freak-out moment where one of the actresses throws a chair,” Jenkins added.

Another notable scene was the one involving Joe Orsini and Anna Bekavac, as it sounds exactly like the voice of a movie preview.

Overall, the play poked fun at topics that relate to teens, being that they are about job interviews and dates, which most people would agree are some of the most nerve-racking things someone can get into. “Most of the jokes are pointed towards (students),” George said.

Despite the fun, getting these laughs required hours of preparation. With about nine hours per week spent on rehearsals, not including additional time put in by stage crew, those involved with the play dedicated a huge bulk of their time to practice. The obvious question is how the members balanced that with both homework and their regular lives. However, the students say they spend time completing school work when they are not on stage.

Most would agree that rehearsals were both hectic and somewhat boring, but fun at the same time.

“It helps you to get involved with a lot of new people. You can be yourself,” freshman Kelsey Jones said.

“I like it. I like watching other people,” freshman Sarah Dillinger added.

One key task is helping students realize that each part is equally important.

“One of the challenges is making cast members realize their role; people underestimate their roles,” Jenkins said.

When choosing the play, staff wanted to keep in tune with the “Year of Comedy,” as it is being called, as the musical later in the year will follow the same trend. Staff wanted to also keep in mind a play that would suit all of the students.

Nothing good can ever start without laying a foundation, so casting started with the students creating a comedic monologue and auditioning in front of a group of judges who chose the parts based on what they saw. Also, interviews took place to choose the best people to take the role of student directors.

With that, both Jenkins and the student directors would agree that the process has been a successful one. One interesting note is that most of the members are in fact underclassmen.

“There are a lot of freshman in the show, and they have really impressed us with their enthusiasm and hard-work,” Jenkins said.

“The students are enthusiastic and fun,” Jenkins added.

George said that the hard work always pays off.

“Fall play is always filled with experiences and memories you will never forget,” George said.