After an entire decade of being stuck at district level, our theater department has finally broken their streak and is still continuously moving forward in One Act Play UIL this year! Not only did they come out second place out of all schools in district competition, but they also came out second place in Bi-District. They will be taking their play to area level on Friday, April 12 at Penola College.
The play that they’ve entered into the competition this year is Flowers for Algernon, the emotional and complicated story of a mentally disabled man, Charlie Gordon, and the changes that happen in his life and his relationships after he is experimented on by scientists who are trying to find a way to increase human intelligence. This play brings up many questions such as how we should be treating people, how far science can really go before crossing the line between moral and immoral, and whether or not good intentions can become corrupt.
“People like a good science fiction story, but when we look at Charlie at the beginning of the story when he’s still mentally challenged, we realize just how marginalized he is. And while studying the actual book that this play was based on, we see how Charlie is treated differently and cruelly because of his mental setbacks,” theater director Catherine Gaertner said. “It’s not fair to him, and when we look at this world around us, we can see this sort of standard that society sets for us. You’re good if you’re smart. You’re good if you’re pretty. And I think that this show is a bit of a social experiment on that because Charlie only becomes accepted because of his intelligence.”
The cast for the show is very small, with five characters and three other actors onstage helping with silhouettes. There are currently 13 students participating in this play, including tech.
But even with such a small amount of people, they’ve really turned this play into something special.
“It’s kind of hard to just sum up the progress we’ve made into words. We’ve gotten to this point where we’ve spent as much time on this production as professional companies spend on theirs, and it’s just really exciting because when you get to this point, everything becomes real. The characters become real. The world you’ve built becomes real, and I’m just excited that we get to keep telling this story,” Gaertner said.
One thing that makes this show unique to others that our department has done before is that it features live music right in the wings of the stage. Instrumentalists Ever Sweet, Seth Hardin, and Lily Tieman perform their chosen songs live to help set the mood of each scene.
“I play a lot of the live music. I play the piano, cello, bass, and acoustic guitar,” sophomore Seth Hardin said. “It’s given me the opportunity to really stretch myself as a musician. I feel like I’m not just reading music off of a page, but I’m writing and arranging music. I’ve also just made some really close connections with the people I get to work with.”
Another great part of this play is the acting. There are so many beautifully portrayed moments in this play that have been perfected through the rehearsal process.
“As someone whose job includes constantly keeping one eye on the stage, I think it’s safe for me to say that I am wowed every time I watch the actors rehearse up there. It’s just such an honor to be a part of this company with them,” freshman Vincent Ralston said.
Everyone involved in this play has put so much time and effort into their craft, and it’s exciting to see all of them reap the benefits of it. If you want to come watch and support our Boomtown Players, keep an eye out for upcoming performances!