The SPECTRUM

Volume 31

The SPECTRUM

The SPECTRUM

Student actors perform in Scene Night

Student+actors+perform+in+Scene+Night
By Alex Daum’20

edited
The Drama class performs a scene Credit: Alex Daum’20/SPECTRUM

 
Students in Acting Workshop classes performed their semester’s work at Scene Night on Tuesday.  The show was directed by Middle School Dean Department Head Kate Benton and Performing Arts Teacher Jim Doughan.  Doughan said he is proud of what the students have learned throughout the semester.
“What’s really fun is they have kind of understood the process of what it takes—How you analyze a script and stay true to what the playwright wants when he wrote the play, and honoring the character, the eccentricities of that character and how to bring those to life on stage,” Doughan said.
Students started the semester by learning from a historical perspective about the origins of drama and how it evolved into the naturalism of today’s acting.  When they returned from winter break, the students finalized who will perform in each scene in Scene Night.  The students then started memorizing their lines and blocking their scenes.  Though many of them have different themes, such as comedy or drama, they are mostly from plays in American contemporary theater.
Benton explained how Scene Night furthers the students’ acting skills.
“The students, many for the first time, get to perform in front of an audience because it changes things as an actor. Live theater is very exciting because you can get instant feedback on how it’s going, and there is nothing more thrilling than when things go well. […] The more experience you have performing in front of an audience the better you get at performing in front of an audience,” Benton said.
Performers said that preparing for Scene Night helped them make friends and they were looking forward to the show.
“I’m looking forward to showcasing what we’ve been working on this semester. […] Being a new kid allowed me to make friendships with people who shared the same interests as me,” Landon Poon ‘20 said before the show.

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