'Woman in Black' sets the stage for student productions

As if the drama department hasn’t changed enough with a new teacher and new curriculum, a couple of ambitious students decided to take on a challenge that hasn’t been done for several years; a student production.

Even though many changes have been made, the department is looking stronger than ever, with a host of new productions. This year's student produced play, "The Woman in Black," brought back the department’s old tradition of displaying student productions. The play relays the story of a man who suffers from a frightening event and feels the only way to alleviate his tension is to have an actor act out his trauma in a production. The production is a play within a play and is the first student production in several years.

“We used to do student productions a couple years ago,” said senior Chaz Main, director of this production. "And now we are very excited to bring them back. This should be an entertaining show for everyone and stars two very talented students.”

The only two cast members of this show are seniors Jae Lee and David Mandell. With tons of lines to memorize and the pressure to perform high, these two dedicated actors certainly worked hard for the spotlight. Practicing in the little theatre on weekends, working late to get down lines, and planning an entire production, all without adult leadership, had been a challenge for both actors and the director.

“Of course, being one of only two cast members can be stressful, but it's such an honor and very much worth it. I couldn't ask for a better co-actor or director," said Mandell. "I hope everyone comes to see this play. Student productions can be very hard to pull off, but I think this one will wow our crowd.”

Main has worked overtime to put on this production, which was performed in the Little Theater on Oct. 1.

“Time has definitely been a challenge this year. We started school late and have had less than a month to put this show together,” he said. "It has been ambitious, but it makes it even more interesting that way."

Not only did this production affect Lee, Main and Mandell, it could also set the stage for productions in the future.

“It would be so great to start a tradition to bring back student productions, and we hope our work with this play pays off to make it happen,” said Lee.