In the heart of ancient Greece, where gods and mortals were intertwined, the grand amphitheater echoed with the tales of heroism, tragedy and the relentless pursuit of glory. Theatre l students performed “The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza” as their only production of the year April 9. The play was written by Don Zolidis in 2015 and initially performed by Hills Youth Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. The students were led by student directors Adriano Bracamontes, Camille Burton, Arie Monson and Juliana Ruscica. Each director went through a process the year before where an application was open to theater ll, lll and lV students who wanted to return to be a director in the spring.
“[The criteria consists of] their experience in the program, their dedication to it, they have to be clear of demerits and things like that. You know, do they have the leadership skills that they’re gonna need and [the] ability to work with other people and teach them. But usually it’s someone that’s [going to] be available to be responsible and direct others and are others [going to] listen to them,” Mr. Josh Ansley said.
Burton was one of the directors that decided to direct her first play here. With a background in other short films, Burton decided to take on the challenge of directing her first play.
“[I] picked this show because it was kind of different than a lot of the other shows we were looking at, we thought it would fit well with our class as well, because there’s so many crazy little bits for them to do,” Burton said. “It’s different [from] a lot of one-acts that we found. It’s about Greek mythology so it covers all the Greek mythology in a short period of time so it’s very chaotic and fun.”
Burton said that getting to hear from people who you don’t normally get feedback from can be essential to your growth and further development as a theater student.
“They’ve definitely helped with characterization, it’s hard to get into the mindset of a different person and not just be yourself. So it was really helpful to make a bunch of characterizations. Me and Lauren Reed, we talked through our characters and what they were like together and how they fed off of each other’s energy,” Luisa Pridgen said. “Me and Lauren, Narrator 1 and Narrator 2. We’ve gotten really close, not just this play, but during Mamma Mia and stuff. I feel like our chemistry is really good, so it’s really fun to work with her.”
This collaborative spirit is essential in theater, especially when actors have to embody such distinct characters. It creates a dynamic that resonates with the audience. Elijah Ybarra had to find that collaboration within himself in order to play his two characters. Ybarra played both Kronos, king of the Titans and Orpheus, God of music.
“Kronos is very powerful, very large [and] regal. Orpheus is pretty much the opposite of that,
which isn’t easy to do back to back,” Ybarra said. “I like both. Orpheus, his backstory I find very intriguing. Pretty much his father showed up, he messed around with mortals and then left, and he resented them for it.”
This was Ybarra’s first time singing on stage.
“[Before my show I felt] nervous. Very, very nervous. Because I [had] a lot of people going specifically for my song, so that’s nerve-racking,” Ybarra said. “Friends, family, all the above pretty much [went to the play for me]. Whenever I’m talking about my one act and I say, ‘oh, yeah I have a song.’ They’re like, ‘yeah, I’m going.’”
After hours of producing and practicing students were able to put themselves in front of an audience for the first time.
Burton said, “I hope [the audience] sees how talented so many of our students are, because they’ve all worked hard. They all have their own little bit they’ve kind of added into the show that’s really funny or plays off really well. So I just hope everyone who watches the show sees how hard they’ve worked and how much it’s paid off.”
by LUMINIA HUOTARI, HANNAH JANSSEN, RILEY RUST AND NATALIA TAKEUCH
