Dublin High Drama Spring Play Announced: “You Can’t Take It With You”

•January 25, 2012 • 1 Comment

The Dublin High Drama Club‘s Spring 2012 production will be the classic American comedy “You Can’t Take It With You“. The Spring play follows on the very successful student-directed One Act Plays held earlier this month. Auditions for the play are being held this week at Dublin High School.

“You Can’t Take It With You” is by the same team that wrote “The Man Who Came To Dinner” (Moss Hart and George Kaufman). Dublin High had a successful run of “The Man Who Came To Dinner” in 2010 (read more…)

Mark your calendars – “You Can’t Take It With You” opens March 29 with performances continuing on March 30, 31 and April 1.

Continue reading ‘Dublin High Drama Spring Play Announced: “You Can’t Take It With You”’

Dublin High Drama Club One Acts Opening Night a Theatrical Treat

•January 5, 2012 • 1 Comment

Dublin High Drama Club One Acts 2012 - The Office

The Dublin High School Drama Club’s annual One Acts provide an opportunity for student directors to take control of play selection, casting, staging and of course directing fellow students (with the guidance of Dublin High Drama Director Bryant Hoex). The 2012 edition of the One Acts opened to an enthusiastic audience, with performances continuing Friday (7pm), Saturday (7pm) and Sunday (2pm).

The success of opening night was due, in part, to the clever selection of one act plays and musical excerpts. The show opened and closed with musical numbers from Title of Show (a musical about two writers writing a musical… about musicals). The choice of musical bookends to the One Acts provided the perfect opening and closing note to a series of plays that combined comedy and drama. Even the funniest selections had moments of drama and insight – most notably David Ives Variations on the Death of Trotsky – very funny yet ultimately melancholic. Making the absurdity of Trotsky work requires perfect timing and performances that never break character – both achieved on opening night.

The student actors played parts beyond their years – for a moment you no longer saw the performers as teenagers but as a middle-aged estranged couple in The Man Who Couldn’t Dance or a night shift doctor helping a mysteriously angelic patient who ultimately helps him in Night Visits or two bored to the extreme customer service employees in The Office.

The one exception to a night of interleaved comedy and drama was provided by the intense A Whole House Full of Babies - which dealt with the anguish of a young mother who had to give up her newborn baby for adoption. Most touching was John Cariani’s Her Heart from the play Almost, Maine which wrapped quirky comedy around the pain of death and loss.

The challenge of a short story or one act play is to effectively create memorable characters and a compelling story in just 10-12 minutes. There isn’t room for anything not central to the theme or story. The student directors who selected the material challenged themselves, the cast and the audience – to great effect.

If you are looking for an evening of entertainment that leaves you laughing, thinking and humming a tune or two on your drive home, then make your way to Dublin High’s Little Theatre this weekend to enjoy the 2012 Dublin High Drama Club One Acts. Ticket prices are $5 for students and $7 for adults, and the show is suitable for all ages. The program for the show is available here. TJ Florist and Gifts, OneDublin.org and Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop sponsored the production.

Dublin High Drama Club One Acts 2012 Opening Night Cast

Dublin High Drama Club One Acts 2012 Closing Night Cast

 

Dublin High School One Acts 2012 Student Directors

Dublin High School One Acts 2012 – Director Preview

•January 2, 2012 • Leave a Comment

The student directors preparing for opening night took a few minutes to share their thoughts about the upcoming Dublin High One Acts for 2012. The One Acts open Jan 5 at 7pm, continuing Jan 6-7 at 7pm and closing with a matinee on Jan 8 at 2pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students.

Dublin High Drama Club – Student-directed One Act Plays Cast Lists Announced

•November 13, 2011 • 1 Comment

Nearly 60 students auditioned for roles in Dublin High’s 2012 edition of the popular student-directed one act plays. If two students are listed, it indicates that the part was double-cast. The student directed one acts will be performed Jan 5-8 in the Dublin High School Little Theatre. The student-directed one act plays build on the success of Twelfth Night, the first production in the Dublin High Drama Club 2011-12 season.

Almost, Maine; Directed by Nicole Hamre

  • East: Alex Cappa
  • Glory: Melany Scannell

A Whole House Full of Babies; Directed by Kristyn Lue

  • Sheila: Ashley Bruce, Allie Caterina
  • Reno: Annie McDonald, Jennifer Strasser

Night Visits; Directed by Nate Bennett

  • Tom: Ronil Bhatia, Clint Jackman
  • Emily: Jamella Cross, Makenna Elias
  • Liz: Kayley Huff, Cassidy Knight

The Man Who Couldn’t Dance; Directed by Ryan McRee

  • Eric: Lucas Hernandez, Patrick Wallace
  • Gail: Kristen Koury, Jessica Neideffer

The Office; Directed by Emily Morehead

  • Woman 1: Hannah Keihl, Madison Lattner
  • Woman 2: Sharanya Stanley, Jasmine Virk

Variations of the Death of Trotsky; Directed by Sarah Finn

  • Trotsky: Alex Gregory, Ian Wilcox
  • Mrs. Trotsky: Lauren Lovato
  • Ramon: Robby Khan, Cregan Sorvari

[Title of Show] - 2 musical numbers; Directed by Chris Harral

  • Jeff: Ronil Bhatia
  • Hunter: Patrick Wallace
  • Heidi: Brooke Brunkhorst
  • Susan: Rachel Gregory

Dublin High Drama Club Announces Student-directed One Acts Opening Jan 2012

•November 7, 2011 • 1 Comment

The annual student-directed one-act plays have been announced and auditions are underway. Block your calendar to be in Dublin High School’s Little Theatre during January 5-8, 2012 to be entertained by a diverse assortment of drama, comedy and song.

Dublin High Drama Club Student-directed One Acts 2012:
  • “The Office” by Kate Hoffower (Dublin High School Student Director: Emily Morehead)
  • Variations on the Death of Trotsky“ by David Ives (Dublin High School Student Director: Sarah Finn)
  • “Night Visits” by Simon Fill (Dublin High School Student Director: Nate Bennett)
  • “A Whole House Full of Babies” by Sean O’Connor (Dublin High School Student Director: Kristyn Lue)
  • Almost, Maine” by John Cariani (Dublin High School Student Director: Nicole Hamre)
  • “The Man Who Couldn’t Dance” by Jason Katims (Dublin High School Student Director: Ryan McRee)
  • Excerpts from the musical [Title of Show] by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell: “Untitled Opening Number” and “Nine People’s Favorite Thing” (Dublin High School Student Director: Chris Harral)

Dublin High’s always popular student-directed one-act plays provide students a unique opportunity to direct other students, while entertaining audiences with a wide-ranging variety of themes and styles.

Dublin High Twelfth Night Cast Shakes Off Mid-Show Earthquake to Opening Night Applause

•October 21, 2011 • 1 Comment

Duke Orsino and Viola

Viola (disguised as Cesario, and twin to brother Sebastian) loves Duke Orsino, who in turn loves Olivia, who in turn loves Cesario (Viola in disguise). In due course (of course) the twins Cesario (Viola) and Sebastian interchange to the confusion of all. As Viola bemoans in Act II, Scene 2: “O time! thou must untangle this, not I; It is too hard a knot for me to untie!” Dublin High School’s Twelfth Night spins a tangled web of love and mischief, meticulously tied and then unravelled, with flair and comedic timing. And just for good measure, California’s faults entered the fray with a 3.8 magnitude earthquake during the performance (causing a few whispers in the audience, while the performers didn’t miss a beat).

For good measure (and excellent comedic relief), Feste (Olivia’s fool) and companions Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria play Malvolio for the fool (and cruelly so). Sound reminiscent of She’s the Man? Shakespeare’s comedy was the inspiration for the film. Add in swordplay, music, song and artful staging and you have a terrific evening of high school theatre. Actually, forget the “high school” qualifier – the opening night cast treated the full theatre to a wonderful experience.

“If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die.” And so the Dublin High Drama Club played on this Fall despite a compressed schedule that required auditions and casting to be completed during the first week of school, and rehearsals immediately following. The complex staging benefited from prior productions (most notably The Importance of Being Earnest and The Man Who Came to Dinner). Like any theatre company, veteran audience members can spot the props of performances past. Thanks to help from a Dublin High alumni, the show also benefited from enhanced lighting (with the number of lights used more than doubled vs. the 2010-11 season).

Most impressive of all was the swordplay – both spontaneous and natural – the performers throwing caution to the wind to great effect.

Wished you’d been there? You have three more chances – Twelfth Night continues Friday and Saturday at 7pm and closes Sunday with a matinée at 2pm. Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults. As with other Dublin High productions, double-casting is used for many parts providing more students an opportunity to experience the thrill of a live theatre performance.

The show bill is available here and cast list available here.

Malvolio Imprisoned and Taunted by Feste

Swordplay

Continue reading ‘Dublin High Twelfth Night Cast Shakes Off Mid-Show Earthquake to Opening Night Applause’

Twelfth Night Cast and Crew Prepare for Opening Night

•October 16, 2011 • Leave a Comment

With “Twelfth Night” opening night less than a week away (Thursday Oct 20 at 7pm in Dublin High School’s Little Theatre to be precise), the Dublin High Drama Club cast and crew spent a sunny Sunday afternoon hard at work in the Little Theatre. Students and parent volunteers applied finishing touches to the stage, the lighting crew kept everyone in the spotlight and several student actors practiced swordplay in the sunshine outside.

Twelfth Night’s four performances begin on Thursday Oct 20 at 7pm, continuing Friday and Saturday at 7pm and closing Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults. Shakespeare’s popular comedy features intrigue, swordplay, music and slapstick – a perfect mid-term break for students, parents and the community.

Continue reading ‘Twelfth Night Cast and Crew Prepare for Opening Night’

Dublin High Drama Coming Soon – Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

•October 5, 2011 • Leave a Comment

Opening night is just a few weeks away. Add Twelfth Night to your calendar Oct 20-23 at Dublin High School’s Little Theatre.

Dublin High Drama: Twelfth Night Cast List Announced

•August 27, 2011 • 2 Comments

Dublin High School’s fall play, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, will be performed October 20-23, 2011 in the Dublin High School Little Theater. The cast list was announced today after a flurry of back-to-school week auditions and call backs.

As in years past, many roles in the play will be double-cast: characters will each perform twice (either Thurs-Sat or Fri-Sun) and are listed alphabetically; exact performance nights will be determined during the rehearsal process. Read-throughs for the cast begin on Monday. Potential audience members, now is a good time to either re-read the play and/or watch “She’s the Man” (the Amanda Bynes movie inspired by Twelfth Night)

TWELFTH NIGHT CAST LIST

  • VIOLA: Kristen Koury and Emily Morehead
  • OLIVIA: Rachel Gregory and Jessica Neideffer
  • FESTE the Fool: Reed Sights and Patrick Wallace
  • DUKE ORSINO:  Nate Bennett
  • SIR TOBY BELCH:  Chris Harral
  • MALVOLIO:  Ryan McRee and Ian Wilcox
  • MARIA:  Lauren Lovato and Brynne Miller
  • ANDREW AGUECHEEK:  Ronil Bhatia and Nick Sinai
  • FABIAN:  Sarah Finn and Kristyn Lue
  • SEBASTIAN: Lucas Hernandez
  • ANTONIO: Ryan McRee and Ian Wilcox
  • SEA CAPT.:  Zach Little and Clyde Ottney
  • CURIO: Annie McDonald
  • VALENTINE: Jennifer Strasser
  • OLIVIA’S SERVANTS (both onstage all 4 nights): Melany Scannell and Elena Valdick
  • 1ST OFFICER:  Hannah Keihl
  • 2ND OFFICER: Kendra Wilcox
  • PRIEST: Anne Griffin

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Coming to Dublin High Oct 20-23

•August 21, 2011 • Leave a Comment

Dublin High School’s first production of the 2011-12 season will be Shakespeare’s classic Twelfth Night. Opening night is Thursday, Oct 20 at 7pm with performances continuing Oct 21-22 at 7pm and Oct 23 at 2pm. Auditions will be held the week of Aug 22.

“If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
That strain again! it had a dying fall:
O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound 1
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing and giving odour!”

Twelfth Night, Act i. Scene 1.

 
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