As spring sports start up and the weather changes to a nice warm state, Hingham High School Drama also start their own season. This year, the director is Hingham Public School’s history department head, Mr. Hoey.
Mr. Hoey graduated from Dartmouth College with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in both history and drama/film. Afterwards, he studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before moving to New York City, where he studied under a man named Fred Kareman and acted in both Off-Broadway and Regional theaters. Even though his job is in an entirely separate field and level of creativity, he still engages in theater in groups like Some Small Show, based in Marshfield. He has recently been in productions with the group such as Love/Sick, Almost Maine, and Love Letters. For the spring season, Mr Hoey chose to direct the play Love/Sick by John Cariani.
John Cariani is a playwright, actor and award winner from Presque Isle, Maine; his experience helps add small details to some of his plays, like Almost Maine. His is known for his writing but also his roles in theater, like Motel the Tailor in Fiddler on the Roof, Itzik in The Band’s Visit, Nigel Bottom in Something Rotten!, Stuart Gellman in Caroline, or Change, and in television, such as Professor Otto Bahnoff in Numbers and Forensics Tech Beck in Law & Order.
Love/Sick is a set in an “alternate suburban reality,” as Cariani describes it, and is usually made up of nine to eleven small vignettes, with a few scenes that could be substituted or cut for high school productions. All of the scenes take place at 7:30 on a Friday night in this reality and all have references to a “SuperCenter” that could be described as a Walmart or Target. They also represent stages of love and love related events or actions such as falling in love, breakups, commitment, indecision, boredom, argument and divorce.
Some people have previously read this play, before some of it was rewritten and edited, and some of them spoke about their distaste towards the show. When talking to these people before and after the first read, I could see their opinions changed after watching it unfold between their eyes with all the emotion that people could muster.
Senior Alexa Harris says, “I knew the play previously so when it was announced I had mixed feelings. It’s a hard show for high schoolers to pull off in my opinion. However, after the first read I realized that it actually could be really good with the people we have. I also really enjoyed the range of comedic and dramatic scenes there are, which makes it way more fun to watch. I also think it’s perfect for letting a range of talented people in drama showcase their skills, which in other shows they might not have gotten the chance.” It is hard as a director and actor to know if a show will work out for the production, but during auditions, it was evident that it suited many people in the cast.
On the other hand, some people still did not like the play, whether it was the genre or events in general. Sophomore Joe Bennion states, “[I] thought the show was kind of weird at first, it was pitched as a romantic drama/comedy set in vignettes. I’m not really into having to act in romance stories, but after the first read through it’s clear that the show is much more focused on the relationship between characters that happen to be romantically interested. I like the show and the drama of it all, but the overall vibe the show gives off is that [it focuses on] romance relationships [which] kinda sucks so I don’t know how I feel about that. Still a good show though.”
The Scenes:
The first scene is titled “Obsessive Impulsive” and represents the first meeting and falling in love at first sight. It is about two people who run into each other at the SuperCenter, and on pure urge, confess their love together and figure out that they both have obsessive impulsive disorder, not to be confused with obsessive compulsive disorder. They both are under supervision by their siblings and are in a treatment program to help control their impulsive habits, even though the actions they take in the scene show that they are still a while away from recovery. The two characters only referenced to as Woman and Man (Women and Women in this case) are played by Amelia Byrne and Emma Lee. The student director for this scene is Audrey Jones.
The second scene is titled “Telegram” and represents a breakup or falling out of love. It is about a woman who has a singing telegram come to her door and they have a message from her boyfriend. The woman thinks her boyfriend is going to propose, but the telegram reveals that he never loved her and wanted to break it off. The two characters in this scene are Louise Overbee, played by McKenzie Patterson and the Singing Telegram Person played by Audrey Jones. The student director for this scene is Breanna Weiss.
The third scene is titled “What?” and represents the aspect of commitment in a relationship. It is about when two people, originally two men but changed to two women for casting reasons, have fallen in love; one of the women, Bren, wants to move the relationship away from its dormant state but the other, Andi, is not used to taking big steps in relationships. Andi is played by Willow Chisolm and Bren is played by Clare Blatchley. The student director for this scene is Izzie Donnelly.
The fourth scene is titled “Answer” and is about both uncertainty and marriage. A bride, Celia, and a groom, Keith, are about to get married and while everyone is waiting for them to walk out, Keith locks himself in the bathroom out of nerves. A sudden realization arises, and they both eventually figure out that they love each other but don’t want to get married on that day or maybe anytime in the future. Celia is played by Lauren Walker and Keith is played by Alec Whitmore. The student director for this scene is Griffin Blidner.
The fifth scene is titled “Uh-Oh” and is about boredom during marriage. A woman, Sarah, is bored of the fun that used to be in her marriage with Bill and is looking for excitement. After some internet searches and absent solutions, Sarah chooses to pull a prank on Bill that takes a turn for the worse. Sarah is played by Izzie Donnelly and Bill is played by Fiona Hogan. The student director for this scene is Alexa Harris.
The sixth scene is titled “Chicken” and is about having doubts in relationships. A man, Jake, suddenly expresses how his relationship with Maddie is no longer the same and that she should have not introduced himself so nothing would have changed. Maddie is somewhat used to his antics, but she was pushed to a point where she walked out and was going to go and get a divorce for Jake, before he realized that he would be lonely without her. Maddie is played by Hannah Givney and Jake is played by Joe Bennion. The student director for this scene is Saachi Menon.
The seventh scene is titled “Forgot” and is about arguments and having two different visions for the future. Jill was talking with her friends and realized that she is getting old and if she wanted a child, she would have to have one soon. She had it planned out and was confused why she “forgot” about it. Jill eventually gets mad at Kevin, who is trying to calm her down and doesn’t understand her reasoning. At the end of the scene, it is learned that Kevin’s perspective was never consulted before Jill made a plan for their future. Jill is played by Annie Daly and Kevin is played by Jack Dorn. The student director for this scene is Hannah Givney.
The eighth scene is titled “Sick of This” and is also about arguments and hidden negative feelings. In the scene, two wives have very different lifestyles; Abbie is a stay-at-home mother while Liz is constantly working. They both feel as if the other isn’t around as much and after a tired thought almost turns into a dire change for the entire family, they talk about what they feel like should change, or better, and how they understand the other’s feelings more after they were communicated. Abbie is played by Anna Post and Liz is played by Reese Warshaw. The student director for this scene is Octavia Atkins.
The ninth and final scene is titled “Destiny” and is about divorce and destiny. A man, Jake, and a woman, Emily, were married at one point after falling in love fast. They eventually got divorced and went their separate ways due to arguments and how they realized that they were not the best fit. They run into each other at the local SuperCenter and it is learned that Jake’s now-ex-wife divorced him and Emily’s husband died. They feel a strong connection and attraction to each other but then remember the reasons why they fell apart in the first place. Jake is played by Michael Blackwood and Emily is played by Alexa Harris. The student director for this scene is Annie Daly. At the end, there is a big full circle moment and they also reference every one of the scenes within the last vignette.
There is also a group of understudies and shoppers at the SuperCenter, directed by Saachi Menon and Breanna Weiss, that includes Corinne Durso, Chloe Hamilton, Sophia Kruzer, Claire Rathke and Ayra Rizvanbegovic. There is also a large crew behind this show and, even though the list is so extensive, everyone deserves recognition. The list of both crew heads (CH) and people within crew are: Noah Andrews, Octavia Atkins, Aliyah Blidner, Cormac Hogan, Zoia Lee, Nikolas Romania, Theo Steele, James Walsh, Audrey Jones (CH), Tag Tomlinson (CH), Caroline Blatchley, Griffin Blidner, Willow Chisholm, Aubrey Fairfield, Callie Granoff, Chloe Hamilton, Breanna Weiss, Dee Sweeney, Kimya Howell, Luke Burke (CH), Isabella Monti (CH), Clare Blatchley (CH), Ciara McGuinness, Chloe Salerno, Lauren Walker, Mason Ross (CH), Annie Daly (CH), Alec Whitmore (CH), Casey Salerno (CH), Kate Fleming, Piper Perette, Liam O’Toole (CH), Miranda Alfonso, and Sophia Peregrine.
Why Drama?
Many people do not join the drama club if they do not have a genuine interest or at least an open mind and curiosity when it comes to drama. From personal experience, it is such a welcoming club and even though, like every club, there can be some mean people and people that are hard to be around. Despite this, the Hingham High School Drama Club is a welcoming atmosphere where the outgoing people do not reflect the hardship to make new friends in high school.
When asked about the topic, Alexa Harris states, “I do drama because theatre genuinely brings me so much happiness. I like challenging myself to represent a range of characters and to see the world in so many different perspectives. I think art in general offers people new perspectives and the opportunity to see reflections on issues in the world today that are so important and would not be discussed so openly otherwise. I also really like the idea of spreading positive messages through art and connecting through personal reflections and experiences with every individual audience member. I think people should participate in drama because it is so fun and there are so many different meaningful roles to play both on and off the stage. Also the community is so amazing and it can really push you to better yourself in ways you never thought would be possible.”
After posing the same questions, Joe Bennion said, “I choose to do drama cause a lot of my friends are in it to begin with so that makes it an obvious point of interest, but even still it’s a very welcoming community that provides a wonderful creative outlet through not only acting but also set building and design, costumes, and lights/ sound. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to engross themselves within an artistic and creative community, and especially people who are either looking for a new way to express themselves in a safe space.”
To close, I urge you to consider joining drama for at least one year, particularly fall because everyone gets to be very involved. If it is not the activity that you favor, you can figure that out, but trying it for a year can be beneficial to have a more active social life or even get better at public speaking, if it’s being looked at from a technical standpoint. Some people have tried it as juniors or seniors and regretted the fact that they did not try it earlier.
