Telling their own scary stories in the woods, Vanessa (junior Kate Peters), Claire (junior Shelby Pratt), Lindsey (junior Breanna Morrow), and Dani (senior Lauren Smith) criticize each other about their stories. Photo by: Katie Sommers
By Katie Sommers
Practice makes perfect, as Plymouth High School students and staff are preparing and rehearsing for their annual school winter play. The performance will take place this weekend and is performed by PHS’s very own acting students.
The PHS theatre department is proud to present, “The Bottom of the Lake,” a spooky comedy by Steven Stack. It is about a group of kids sneaking away from their summer camp one night to the woods and the lake where they all tell some ghost stories, and each story comes to life on the stage.
It takes many students to put a play together for an audience. From stage crew and tech theater, to cast members, and theater art classes, each member has an important part. The time and effort is enormous in play productions. Memorizing lines, creating costumes, making the scenes, setting the stage, and adding in minor details all are important. Junior Breanna Morrow said, “The acting class practices every day in 6th hour, while crew builds in 4th. [Two] weeks before the play, is when rehearsals start. The first week, we have three rehearsals for two hours, then a Sunday practice from 1-6, then another full [week] of rehearsals leading up to the play!”
As actors, students need to learn how to pretend to be a different people and to change who they are. It can sometimes be difficult, but fun at the same time. Senior Becca Houser said, “I play three different parts. I am a girl named Alexis, who is pressured by her friends to go into a haunted house. I am also a skeleton. My last character is the little girl of the main character Claire.”
Speaking to each other, Haley (junior Sarah Puglisi) and Alexis (senior Becca Houser) discuss the lady in white and the spooky house during a scene in the play. Photo by: Katie Sommers
From building the sets to picking costumes, and being under the lights, the actors and stage crew have different parts they enjoy the most in making this production. Sophomore Ryan MacLain said, “Seeing the play progress, get better and better as the days go on,” is his favorite part on making and designing this play. Junior Daniel Flynn is more into the stage crew side of the play. He said, “I love building the sets, I made the music and everything that went into the production.”
Hidden behind the lights, music, costumes, and stage there is some type of story or message in the play. It may not always be noticeable, but the theme is in the lines and actions. Senior Jordan Knapp said the idea is, “Treat people how you’d like to be treated.” Adding to that junior Kate Peters said that message is not a big part of the play, but it is mostly just for fun and entertainment.
Picking and choosing the right theme or play can be tricky. Audiences want entertainment and a good story produced well. Senior Adam Lacefield said, “[they] had to find a play that would fit our actors as well as our building abilities.” Talking more about the story itself Flynn said that the theme was picked because of the plot twist which makes the play amazing.
As an actor it can be difficult choosing a costume that fits the character and how the teacher wants it. It may also be an exciting experience trying new things. Both Morrow and Peters agree that this play was quite easy for them to find a costume because they are just regular girls in the play. On the other hand Houser says for her part in the play, “it is difficult at times [to find a costume]. You never know how the director is going to respond to your costume choice.”
Coming out of the graveyard, the zombie children come to front of the stage to perform their dance as the story continues to unfold. Photo by: Katie Sommers
Putting all the time and effort into producing this play creates and leads students to have lots of expectations. MacLain said, “I think it will go good. Its [going] to be tough with all of the music and sound effects.” Stating more on the play itself, Knapp said, “I expect this play to go well and be scary.” The students have worked nonstop on this production, and everyone is excited to see how it turns out.
After numerous weeks of building, producing, memorizing, and preparing, many PHS students are performing in “The Bottom of the Lake.” It will be performed February 8th and 9th both at 7pm. Come prepared to laugh and be entertained.