For the first time ever, Prep and Villa will be hosting a Spring Theater Festival following the upcoming production of School of Rock. The festival will consist of several small shows in place of the usual large Spring musical. These shows will be performed over a two week period in different locations throughout the city. This is a wonderful opportunity for many students to get involved in theater and showcase their talents on the stage.
Currently, there are six productions that will be taking place towards the end of April/start of May: Let’s Talk, Armchair Generals, Bone Chiller!, Steel Magnolias, Scooby Doo Where Are You – Nowhere To Hide, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- time. However, a seventh show is considered being added: The Outsiders, based off of the novel.
Two of the listed shows have actually been written by Cathedral Prep students. “Let’s Talk”( written by Brian Buscek and Dominic Montefiori) is a hilarious comedy based off the relationship troubles of three men and closely resembles the series, “Friends.” “Armchair Generals,” also a comedy, is another original show written by Will Lewis. It is a back-and-forth dialogue between a Unionist and a Conservative who are given nuclear codes (via the government) and must make a decision during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
“Bone Chiller!” is a murder mystery that will keep the audience on its toes the entire night. “Steel Magnolias” is sure to mix humor with tragedy and make for a fantastic show. And who doesn’t love Scooby Doo (adapted by Luke Bongiorno)? Lastly, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” is centered around an autistic boy who finds his neighbor’s dog dead and spends the latter part of the story putting pieces together and figuring out how it happened, despite never having traveled farther than the end of the road he lives on.
The Spring Theater Festival will be very special, in large part because it will be almost exclusively run by students. Students will be directing the majority of these shows as well. It is a wonderful opportunity for Prep and Villa to show that they go much beyond others schools and do things differently. Be sure to keep an eye out for all of the upcoming productions.