“When I was about to walk on stage for the first time, I felt a lot of anxiety and I couldn’t stop thinking about messing up. I really didn’t want to make a mistake after everyone put so much work into the show,” stated freshman actress, Jade Ockenfels, on the topic of the first showday.
On October 27 and 28, the Terryville High School Drama Club put on a production of “Scared Silly”. This was the year’s first production, and the tension was certainly high in the week leading up. The actors and crew put countless hours into practicing and being sure that everything was perfect, and there was no doubt that a mixture of nervousness and excitement filled the air as the hours ticked down to curtain.
Nolan Stack, one of the actors in “Scared Silly”, prepares for the show
The performance focused on many different stories told by the narrator, Dennis. The stories were told to his cousin and her friend, and ended up being told through several small skits during the play.
At first glance, many may assume that only the actors had a reason to be nervous. However, the tech and crew were just as nervous as the starring roles. Their job was to be sure that everything went smoothly, so there was no doubt that they’d be nervous as anyone else. “I was extremely nervous and excited. When Perkins told me to play the Muppets song (a signal to everyone they have roughly two minutes before the curtain opens and the play begins), I struggled to move the mouse,” explains a freshman tech member. Another crew member, Cody Lozier stated, “I kinda felt a little nervous, but after a few minutes I realized how easy everything was going and I just started having fun with it”.
“I think the play was successful!” sound technician Lilyana Ricardo expressed, “It’s my first show, but it went really well and I think everyone kept their cool.” The performance put on by the Drama Club gathered many laughs from the audience. Actors and actresses got complimented for their performances, and the less-recognized tech crew did a wonderful job with light and sound cues. Many actors and actresses were excited about the outcome.
Actors Nolan Stack and Heather Devona in their show costumes
The production went smoothly and the play was a success. The actors and crew left feeling proud of themselves. There were minor slip-ups, but nothing that prevented the show from going on and making the audience laugh and gasp. The Drama Club put on a total of three shows, and by the third, everyone’s anxiety had slipped away. “It went well and the freshmen did their jobs. They performed them well,” comments senior tech member Bailey McCann. Senior stage manager Keri Genest added, “I believe we did a good job for a fall play. Some new members got right into it and had a lot of energy, when the others could have expressed more emotion. I have seen some of our previous members improve more and come out of their comfort zone while getting prepared for our spring musical.”
Even though on production day they were all proud of each other and themselves, actor Nolan Stack had something else to say: “The play itself (the script, not the performance) was disappointing due to middle aged adults trying to write for teenagers and for them to be “hip” and relevant,” he said. “Was it successful in the sense of performance? Yes.” He was not the only one who had comments about the script itself. Audience member and teacher Mrs. Archambault mentioned that the script was hard to follow at times. While reading through the script, many Drama Club members couldn’t help but cringe due to the forced humor in some of the sections. Many agree that they could have taken on a more appropriate script. Mr. Perkins, the Drama Club director added, “I’d most likely to point out that not every script appeals to everyone; the quality of our production and the opportunities that it provides to all of our students is what matters.” In the end, students, staff and audience members do all agree that although the script wasn’t the best, the club had no problem pulling it off and adding improvised humor.
Overall, the Terryville High School Drama Club is immensely proud of their fall production. The members are looking forward to this spring’s musical and any future shows. Although improvements could always be made, the play was a blast. The show was hilarious, for both the audience and the Drama Club members. “I enjoyed the play,” said Veronica Tardif, “and thought that it was well put together.”