Lights, camera, action!

South Side class helps students create one-act plays

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The future stars of Broadway and cinema could come from South Side High School.

On Jan. 6 and 9, the high-school hosted the student-directed show “The End”, consisting of four original works that were written, directed and produced by the students themselves.

About 500 people attended the two shows in the auditorium. The second performance had to be postponed until Jan. 9 due to the snowstorm.

The shows were a culmination project of the IB-4 Advanced Theatre class. There, students learned about everything that goes into producing a show, including auditions for casting, lighting, audio, and formulating a stage crew. The final assignment for four pairs of seniors was to produce a one-act play and act as the playwright, director and designer.

Connor Coniglio and Alex Johnson co-produced “Dante’s Inferno”, a comedy that takes place in present-day hell. The story follows one character through the various levels of hell and ends with the successful attainment of heaven.

Michaela Titus-Simmons and Katlyn Kirby created “Grease: Life After Rydell High”. Fans of the 1978 hit movie discovered what happened to their favorite characters at Frosty Palace Diner in 1959 and Frenchy’s apartment in New York City ten years later.

Amanda Ventura-Molina and Kate Carrigan put on “The Dream”, a story about two Indiana girls who fantasize about each other’s circumstances.  In the end, the audience is left to determine what was the ‘dream’ and what was reality.

Lastly, Rita Gentile and Connor Gallego had characters reflect on their high school careers and moving on in “Goodbye South Side High”.

The entire show was produced by senior Michelle Cosares. It was her first time being a producer and is only the second person to produce the student-directed show as a Drama Guild event.

Teachers Pamela Seiderman and Debra Tanklow were the drama guild advisors.

“I think it was very successful night and the kids learned a lot from it,” said English teacher Russell Reid. “They learned by commission and omission.”