The spring play, The Madwoman of Chaillot, not only included upper school students, but was opened up to middle school students as well.  Directed by Helen Scott, drama teacher, the play was performed on April 15 and 16.  

“A whole-school play is an opportunity for middle school and high school actors to work as one team and learn from each other.  Younger actors learn by watching the high school students.  The ‘old hands’ can see the new talent coming up through the ranks and find it very challenging,” said Scott.

Middle school students in the play enjoyed performing alongside upper school students.

“Being an eighth grader in the high school play was a really fun experience.  I met a lot of really funny and nice high school students that I otherwise wouldn’t have met.  I think I learned a lot from watching the upper classmen,” said Drew Straub, eighth grade.

Starring Justine Doiron, junior, Ian Farmer, and Tony Marr, seniors, the play was about a woman, the Madwoman of Chaillot, who decides to take down a group of corrupt corporate executives planning to excavate oil from under the streets of Paris.  She ends up condemning the men and all “the wreckers of the world’s joy” to expulsion from the earth, restoring peace and happiness to the world.

“The play was funny and entertaining.  It was weird but in a good way – it kept my attention,” said Valerie Chavez, sophomore.

The play seemed to entertain the audience as well as the actors who performed it. 

“It was fun to get to see other kids in the play and learn the names of some middle school students.  I’m not used to seeing younger kids in drama productions here, since I usually only go to Improv or upper school plays, so I really enjoyed that aspect of the play,” said Julia Davis, sophomore.

The audience enjoyed seeing younger students in the play.

“Watching younger students up there was fun. It’s cool to see how the middle school students and upper school students worked together and made the play a success,” said Chavez.

Scott also thought the play was a success.

“I think the play went very well indeed and the audience response was very supportive.  The kids liked the play from the very first reading and really enjoyed working together on acting and reacting to such a strange comedy,” said Scott.

The students acting in the play had a good time with the other members of the cast.

“I loved practicing for and performing the play.  I will definitely miss practicing and hanging out with the cast every day after school.  It was a fun group of people,” said Straub.

Laura Tarantino, sophomore, enjoyed having her little sister, Alysse Tarantino, seventh grade, in the play with her.

“It was a blast to have my little sister in the play.  It was fun to be up on stage with her and see her in a high school play,” said Tarantino.

Scott opened the play to middle school students because the play had enough parts to allow the whole school to participate.  She believes that starting early will help the students in their acting careers.

“I have always encouraged middle school students to audition for high school plays just to get the practice of auditioning.  But every now and then, we offer a play large enough to open the actual casting to the whole school. I believe it is important to give students the opportunity to catch the acting bug early in their career here at WCA before their schedules get too busy or their interests become too focused on other things.  Too often we get seniors who decided to try out for a play in their last semester at Westminster and discover that they love acting and wish they had done it earlier,” said Scott.