The Show Must Go On
There's a special feeling that seems to vibrate over and over in an actor's or actress's body on the opening night of a play. You can feel it all over the theater, as the players sip into their costumes, set up props for the first act, and recite over and over paragraphs that they've had to eat, sleep and live with the past few weeks. And when its' curtain time, there is no space to worry about butterflies in the stomach, how your markup is holding or whether your parents can see you or not. It sounds a lot like an antiperspirant commercial, but it is true for all plays, including the drama department's '85 production, "The Good Doctor."
"The Good Doctor," as series of one-act plays, was written by the renowned Neil Simon. Most of the cuttings are humorous (some are even hilarious) while a couple of them are of a more serious dramatic nature. Joe, a freshman, played the writer and narrator of the play, introducing scenes and putting a little of his distinct style into the play. A few of the more popular acts were "The Sneeze," "the Seduction," and "Defenseless Creature." The play ran on April 28 and 29, and was filled with good audiences on both nights.
Our department also participated in the Christmas concert, consolidating with the instrumental and choir departments to put on a night of "culture" mixed with a whole lot of fun. The group performed "The Boy Who Laughed at Santa Claus," with Dan playing the relentless brat Jabez in the first and Mary portraying the curious Virginia in the second. Jenni did up the finishing touches for the drama department, delivering the famous "The Night Before Christmas" poem as Tim made his debut as St. Nick for the memorable last line.
The final work of the year for the group was the "Kiddie Play" when part of the class acted as medieval misfits trying to work magic and foolery in "The Prince Who Wouldn't Talk." Neil depicted the young majesty who would not utter a word, with Lori as the smart, beautiful maiden.