On Feb 2, the spotlight fell on the Young Playwrights Project, a showcase hosted by Aragon’s Advanced Drama class in the Aragon Theater from 7 pm to 9 pm. The performance showcased eight student-penned plays, selected through a class vote, and involved students in various production roles as actors or directors.
The plays examined themes from romance and comedy to loss and helplessness.
Sophomore Samantha Green’s “16 Minutes of Fame” touched on the intersection between celebrity culture and everyday life. The narrative unfolds in a coffee shop, where a barista, unaware of the celebrity status of a customer, becomes entangled in fan club recruitment.
“[It analyzed] the power we give to celebrities like Taylor Swift and explored [a] hypothetical ‘evil Taylor Swift,’” Green said.
Drama Director Shane Smuin managed the production of the plays, from the first draft to the final product. Employing a minimalistic approach, he kept the production design intentionally simple.
“Everybody is in a very basic costume, the props are very simple, and any furniture pieces that we use [are] painted black,” Smuin said. “So really [it has] a very simplistic look. It becomes mostly about the actors.”
Senior McKenna Gustavson played the lead role in senior Maya Efron’s “Mr. Bobby Shapepants,” a SpongeBob SquarePants production. Poking fun at the various methods actors use to fake cry, Gustavson played an auditionee who mentally composed a speedy tragedy that ended with the death of an innocent dog. She remained unable to cry. The idiosyncratic nature of the play was particularly impactful to Gustavson.
“[It’s] important for people to be able to express themselves through playwriting … [and] we have the ability to write our own plays [through this project],” Gustavson said.
Gustavson shared other reflections on the rehearsal and collaboration process.
“It’s not an easy class … [but] everyone is so nice … [and] brings such good energy,” Gustavson said. “Don’t be afraid to experiment.”
Sophomore Maria Gevorgyan, an actor in sophomore Oliver Levitt’s “Big Mamma Mee-Maw,” agreed.
“I’m really passionate [about] drama,” Gevorgyan said. “I [finally] feel like I can put that into something.”
“Big Mamma Mee-Maw” embarks on a journey with suspicions and connections. Jessy can’t help but feel a sense of “sussiness” when her boyfriend Himothy meets her granny. However, the granny perceives Himothy in a different light, seeing him grappling with a fear of rejection. Filled with teenage slang and occasional profanity, the play garnered laughs from the audience.
But Gevorgyan, who plays Granny, commented on how performing can be stressful.
“I’ve had stage fright since I was a kid,” Gevorgyan said. ”People say you should cover [nerves] with a smile, but I can’t smile all the time.If you’re stressed, it means you care”.
After the comedies in the night’s program, junior Quincy Romero’s “Lost and Found” was a sharp change in tone. It followed a father’s journey from losing his wife, Fraya, to the uncharted territories of single parenthood. The play takes a timeline format, exploring his daughter Shai’s life from her adolescence to adulthood, when she brings over a boyfriend.
Viewers were moved to tears as they witnessed the journey of love, loss and rediscovery unfold.
“I’m usually known for doing… lighthearted and comedic plays, but I wanted to … [write] something emotional,” Romero said.
Sophomore Lissette Aleta’s “Through the Flowers” unfolds as two high school sweethearts reunite after thirteen years apart. Symbolically, the presence of pink roses in the narrative serves as a representation of first love and adoration. These pink roses subtly thread through the narrative, acting as a visual metaphor for the enduring nature of the relationships.
Concluding this year’s Young Playwrights Project, Aragon Drama prepares for the upcoming performances of “The Murder On the Orient Express,” which are scheduled for March 21-24.
