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The Dover-Sherborn Middle School drama students are spending after school hours rehearsing comedic timing and slap stick humor for the upcoming spring plays.
This is the fourth year that the middle school one act plays will be directed by Dover-Sherborn High students. The student directors chose their own plays, and for the last three months they have collaborated on auditions, casting, set design and costumes. The plays are being overseen by Dover-Sherborn Middle School math teacher Carmel Bergeron.
One of the three featured plays is Stephan Lanfer's “Gary Grinkle's Battles with Wrinkles and Other Troubles in Mudgeville.” Gary Grinkle is never quite sure if his clothes are free of wrinkles so he can never leave his house. Maggie Magoulish can’t bear the thought of ruining her favorite shoes so she never goes out either, while Melissa B. is terrified of things she can't see and Arnold J. Arnold is glued to his TV.
They all seem quite hopeless until one day some magic arrives in Mudgeville. Making her directorial debut is high school junior Annabel Hodson-Walker a long time theatre enthusiast with plenty of personal acting experience. One of her favorite roles to date was Cosette in the Dover-Sherborn production of Les Miserables. This year she was accepted into the Massachusetts All State Choir and had the experience of a lifetime performing at Symphony Hall.
Another featured play is titled, “This is a Test,” which is a hilarious depiction of teenager Alice Lefenfeld's life. The story entails a complicated series of mishaps stemming from a horrible date with the cutest guy in school and how it leads to staying up all night, not studying for her midterm exam.
As the sixty minutes of her exam tick by, Alice can't seem to keep voices out of her head. Knowing just how important the test is, she is distracted by screaming teachers, classmates cheating and the fact that the opinion essay is in Chinese. This fun-filled production is directed by Dover-Sherborn junior Elizabeth Owen, who has been involved with the drama department since she was in sixth grade. Owen has always felt a connection to theatre and was thrilled to take on a director's role. Her favorite roles over the years include playing Sonia in “Godspell” and Minnie Fay in “Hello Dolly.”
The third one act play is the “Taming of LaRue” by L.R. Karcz, a simple yet hysterical show that sends many thanks (and apologies) to William Shakespeare. Actors and audience members will have a rip roaring good time with this American Western take off of “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Come see stubborn and bossy Kate LaRue drive everyone in town as crazy as a coyote with laryngitis. Her sister sweet Miss Bianca is wondering if she will ever be free to marry her handsome suitor, Larry, especially since she has to wait until her bad tempered sister can be tamed with love. Things get really interesting when the outlaws show up. With plenty of characters, this comical opera ends with an unusual showdown.
High School junior Emmanuelle Fried has found this directorial debut to be an absolute highlight of her year. She has acting experience since sixth grade and most recently played the part of Madam Thenardier in “Les Miserables.” Fried has also choreographed for Xaverian Brothers High School's production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and will be choreographing for the Dover-Sherborn Summer Program as well.
These three nights of comedy promise to entertain all ages. The performances are at the Sherborn Community Center on April 28, 29 and 30. All are at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at the Dover Market, Sherborn Walgreens and online at www.ticketstage.com.
