Calhoun student to direct countywide production of ‘Heathers’

Student-run theater group to donate ticket sales to fight suicide

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A new theater group has formed among Nassau County’s young actors.  

 

Doug Gallo, an incoming senior at Calhoun High School, founded the group by rallying members of his school’s On Tour drama program, where he will be vice president this year, and Plaza Theatrical Productions, a Lynbrook-based theater group which puts on productions at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies.

 

Named the Crossed Path Players, Gallo’s goal in forming the group was to unite actors who have “crossed paths” as part of Long Island’s theater scene.

 

The first project the group undertook was a winter cabaret called “Musicals and Mistletoe.” In addition to the cabaret and a Gofundme page that has raised $900 of its $800 goal within a three-month period, the Crossed Path Players have gathered the necessary funds to produce a feature-length summer production. The players will perform "Heathers The Musical: High School Edition" on July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Brookside School in North Merrick.

 

Set in the 1980s, Heathers is a dark comedy that follows a high school student’s revenge plan gone wrong. “It’s really important to show an audience this story,” Gallo said.

 

The musical’s themes of bullying and suicide prompted Gallo’s decision to request donations to the Long Island chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in lieu of ticket sales.

 

Mackenzie Zorn, an outgoing senior at MacArthur High School, plays Heather Chandler, one of the show’s antagonists. She said that it has been easy for the actors to relate to their characters because they are each representative of different high school stereotypes.   

 

“[Chandler] is the queen bee mean girl,” Zorn said. “I had trouble relating to her at first, but girls like that are so insecure.” She added that insecurity, to her, is a universally felt emotion, especially by adolescents.

 

Gallo explained that the protagonist Veronica encapsulates the show’s ultimately positive message. “It’s the whole idea that life can be beautiful… and it goes along with the goal of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,” Gallo said.

 

Another reason Gallo chose Heathers is because of its reputation as a vocally challenging show, he said, adding that the Cross Path Players seemed up for the task.

 

Aside from sound production by Calhoun’s choir teachers and costumes supplied from Plaza Theatrical, the Crossed Path players group is completely student-run, with Gallo as its director.

 

“It [offers] a completely different perspective,” said Gallo of the transition from actor to director. He added that the role is more daunting as he overlooked its intricate responsibilities when he as an actor, which include working with scheduling conflicts for rehearsals and locking down rehearsal locations. However, he said, “I feel like in the end it’s going to be more rewarding.”

 

The Crossed Path Players have rehearsed at the Bellmore Presbyterian Church, where they performed their winter cabaret. Because of scheduling conflicts, however, they most often hold rehearsals at member’s houses.

 

“Were like a travelling group of gypsies,” Zorn said and recalled watching Gallo tape down the perimeters of a stage in his driveway to create a more realistic rehearsal setting.

After their production of Heathers, the Crossed Path Players will start brainstorming ideas for their next production together. To donate to their Gofundme page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/the-crossed-path-players-heathers.