Middle and Upper School Theater Winter Performances

Middle School:

The middle school performed three well-received renditions of The Search for Delicious on 11/7, 11/8, and 11/9. Set in medieval times, the play focuses on a man writing an original dictionary. On the word “delicious”, he can’t figure out what food to use in the description, so everyone around him, including the king and queen, tries to butt in with their own suggestion, causing a civil war. He decides to go around the country polling people on what foods they consider delicious. A few highlights from the play were the set, which was creatively made from tubing (trunks of trees) and PVC pipes (clouds), as well as the variety of lighting used. They also made good use of the audience’s perspective, making their “river” setting just pond grass made out of green wood. They had the mermaid lie behind the wood and poke her head out, making it look like she was half-submerged. When asked what his favorite part of the play was, Will Achtmeyer ‘’26 stated, “I really liked the dynamics between characters. I think the actors managed to portray the interactions very fluidly.”

Upper School:

The Upper School performed the popular French comedy Art by Yasmina Reza on 10/31, 11/1, and 11/2 starring actors PJ Nolan, Will Achtmeyer, JP Fernandez del Castillo, Stephen Agular, Tommy Folan, and Jake Ma. In the play, the character Serge buys a piece of modern art, a white painting with white stripes white all over. After showing his new purchase to his life-long friends Marc and Yvan, he is criticized for paying $250,000 on a blank canvas, and they begin to argue over the worth and value of the painting. Although the play on the surface appears to be a funny argument over a stupidly-expensive blank painting, in reality the play addresses the differing values and of the three friends as each is dragged into midlife crisis. The actors expertly conveyed the emotions of each character, leading the audience through a journey of anger, sadness, empathy, and depression. A unique aspect of the play was the incorporation of “alter egos,” the mind of each character directly addressing the audience about their true feelings and thoughts. With the costumes of the play perfectly complementing each character, flawless tech work with the lights and sounds, and the masterful directing of Mr. Conway and assistant Jai Somani, the upper school play was an amusing and exciting performance for everyone that watched it.