At 7 o’clock on November 16, the CCHS Thespians will perform their fall production entitled “Game of Tiaras,” setting up a fairy-tale theme for the year.
“Game of Tiaras” follows three sister princesses (Cinderella, Belle and the Snow Queen) after their father decides to split his kingdom among them. Based on Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” this play fuses humor with the intense plot twists of “Game of Thrones,” resulting in an ironically comical tragedy. While opening night is November 16, the production will take place on November 17 and 18 as well. For students and senior citizens, tickets will be priced at $10, with general admission at $15. During pre-sale, which started on November 6 (and ends on November 16), tickets are $10 for everyone.
The Thespians have frequent rehearsals in preparation for their performances, which started off with three days a week. On October 28, Saturday rehearsals were added. Nearing opening night, the Thespians began rehearsing for six days per week, which started November 6.
Sophomore Rylee Berger is a stage manager, as well as the president of the Thespians. She, along with three assistant stage managers, are responsible for ensuring that the process goes as planned and the set is prepared before their goal date. During the show, Berger will be in the tech booth in the back of the auditorium, cuing in the sound and light operators. The assistant stage managers will be backstage with headsets in order to remain in contact with Berger; they ensure that everything is running smoothly on stage.
“It can get stressful, because there is a lot of responsibility and it’s really important that I’m on top of everything,” Berger said. “However, it’s good stress, because it’s something that I love to do.”
The stage managers were also in charge of running auditions, which were held on September 19, 20 and 22. Alex Brower, a junior and second-year member of the Thespians, was cast as Prince Charming, who brings the romance aspects into the play. As a cunning, intelligent yet humorous prince going behind Cinderella’s back, Charming is a typical “player” that many teenage girls can relate to having problems with. Brower is excited to play this fun character, as well as for the new season of drama for the Thespians.
“Being in the Thespians definitely made me more confident,” Brower said. “It made me more outgoing, and I’m not afraid to be who I am anymore.
The club’s board chose “Game of Tiaras” for their fall play, deciding to follow a fairy-tale theme for the year. As the tenth grade representative on the board (along with one of three assistant stage managers), Reese Abrahamoff was able to have a say in what they chose.
“We wanted to do something new and different, and we had so many ideas,” Abrahamoff said. “We thought this would be something exciting to do with our new teacher.”
The musical, taking place towards the end of the school year, follows their theme; popular on Broadway, as well as in the cinema, “Into the Woods” follows fairy-tale characters whose stories get intertwined. It accommodates the Thespian’s large cast, and is a clever twist that can be light-hearted yet dark at the same time. Looking forward to both productions this year, the Thespians work hard together to bring joy to not only themselves, but to the students at CCHS who make up their audience.
“It’s amazing being part of something [as] incredible as the drama club,” Abrahamoff said.
Photo by Sarah Khan
