By Maddie Stroin
Review Special Writer
Under new direction, the Thespian Society is bringing to the stage a fall production unlike anything done in the past couple years.
This year the Lake Orion High School Drama Club will be performing Barefoot in the Park by comedian Neil Simon.
A Lake Orion thespian troupe performed this same play 25 years ago, in 1988.
Performances start Thursday, November 21 and run through November 23.
The show will play at 7 p.m. on all three nights. General admission is $7 and student admission is $5.
The society has also decided to perform the play during school hours. High school students will have the opportunity to pay a reduced price of $3 to watch the performance on Friday, November 22 first half of second hour. Students planning to attend the school-time performance will need permission from a parent to attend. Some teachers will have the opportunity to take their entire class as an in-school field trip. The club members are hoping this will spark more interest and support from their peers.
The cast and crew members attribute many of the differences between this production and plays of the past to the new drama director, Scott Finn.
He strives to get more people involved and aware of the program. Finn previously directed the theatre program in Waterford.
‘I think there is a lot different about this production. This show has a lot more adult content. It is a more mature piece so I think it will appeal to more age groups. It is not childish at all,? said senior Hayley Boggs who will be playing Corie Bratter.
Even though there is an adult backstory, the play is filled with humor. The performance chronicles the fictional story of Paul and Corie Bratter. The newlywed couple moves into an apartment in New York City and is forced to learn to live with each other’s quirks.
Corie is a free-spirit while Paul is very reserved. Their very different personalities become evident when they move in with each other. The play is all about communication.
‘Even though the play was written in 1963 and the time period has changed, people really haven’t. They still experience the same conflicts,? Finn said.
The actors take the stage this week. They have been at work for the past seven weeks. Rehearsals have taken place four days a week after school. The final performances are a celebration of the hard work these students have put in as well as a form of entertainment for community members. Along with the actors and actresses, students have worked behind the scenes building sets, working with costumes and makeup, and controlling technicalities backstage.
The club built the set from scratch. The layout of the apartment and the apartment’s skylight are crucial to the storyline. Great time and care was put into creating this elaborate set.
Over the course of the year the Thespian Society puts on one play in the fall, one musical in the spring, a summer Shakespeare show, and some smaller shows scattered throughout the year.
The thespian troupe is excited to make this relatable script come to life for their audience.