"Just Another High School Play"

The Bear Stage Players take a look at many classic productions this week; with a skewed view.

Little Cypress-Mauriceville students have been practicing since September on their first comedy, “Just Another High School Play.” Premise of the production is students, not prepared for their play and a frustrated teacher on the verge of quitting. The production is thrown together with whatever props and costumes can be found. “It’s everything you know about theater in 90 minutes,” said Melissa Johnson, LCM Theater Arts teacher.

Just a sample of the plays unconventional methods include a “sword fight” with a rubber chicken and a sword made from balloons, Ebenezer Scrooge and company in the “Christmas Carol Rap,” and Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” as a puppet show.

The students unanimously claimed the “Christmas Carol Rap” as their favorite skit in the show; the second favorite seemed to be split between the boys and girls. For the girls, the surreal version of “Little Women,” was a close second; while the boys seemed like the Marlow restaurant scene.

With a cast of about 20 students, the play has around 40 different characters. Needless to say, most of the students are playing more than one character.

This is the first production for several of the students, while a majority of the actors and techs are seniors.

Gage Ibeck has been the stage manager for all four years of her high school theater career, while Kolby Flowers, assistant director, is working in that capacity for only the second time.

He assisted in last year’s production of “Aesop’s Fables.”

 hardest part about directing in high school is, “getting people to listen to you,” said Flowers.

“But eventually they do,” said Ibeck. She agreed that getting the proper respect from the students is difficult in the beginning

Ibeck said the easiest thing with this play is, “there are no complex sets.”

For Flowers, the hardest part of this production was the fact that it is meant to be thrown together and hap hazard, “It’s not perfection. We’re all perfectionists.”

With 14 scenes; different as night and day, they cover comedy, tragedy, past and maybe the future (I did spot an alien in the surreal version of “Little Women.”)

Performances will be Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday in the LCM auditorium.

Tickets are $3. For more information, or reservations, call the LC-M theater department at 886-5821, ext. 1620.