Luck Out This Weekend With Lucky Number 11
With 11 short situational comedies ranging from the hell of visiting the DMV to waiting interminably in line at a theatre box office, this weekend’s Upper School play is sure to offer a little farcical fun for everyone.
Why an evening of 10-minute plays instead of a single full length as usual? After the epic musical Ragtime earlier this year, explained Upper School Theatre Teacher and director Catherine Clark, an evening of shorts was intended to keep the cast coming back for more, never mind the audience. “When we think of the season of plays we do — a musical, an Upper School play and a Middle School play — we try to balance out the feel of the content, as well as the resources we need. Ragtime was an amazing production but it was huge. We needed something that was light enough, both in terms of scope and content, that students would still feel they could take it on,’ she said. “We also wanted to provide audiences with something fun.”
With classics by short form masters David Ives, Jane Martin and Christopher Durang along with eight other notable playwrights, the human condition is given a thorough working over. “These plays range from funny to hilarious,” boasted Catherine. “The students have been doing an amazing job of building these characters and have really been able to focus their energy.”
“It’s a multitude of plays and they’re kind of funny,” said 11th grader Zay R. at a recent tech rehearsal. He appears in Aren Haun’s Standing Room Only, a Seinfeldian look at the absurdity of standing in line hoping to see a show you know next to nothing about. This play opens the show and is staged in one of the aisles. Multiple sets and locations are used throughout the evening for the quick changes needed between so many plays.
Sophomore Justine B. appears in Durang’s DMV Tyrant, and the name says it all in this comedy that sounds like a slice-of-life drama. “It’s about a customer going to get her license renewed and the DMV lady is very annoying, and she doesn’t get her license.” Justine also appears in Andy Hayne’s Battle Tactics, a farcical romp about a group of bungling swashbucklers. “The entire show is funny and entertaining,” she said.
The shorts format has the added benefit of allowing director Catherine to match more students to meaty roles as there are rarely background players in a short where all the action is front and center. “Every student is really showcased.”
Lucky Number 11 Cast
Act 1
“Day”
Standing Room Only by Aren Haun
USHER Anna W.
1ST IN LINE Hannah S.
2ND IN LINE Olive W.
3RD IN LINE Charlie H.
4TH IN LINE Charlee L.
5TH IN LINE Isaac H.
6TH IN LINE Zay R.
The Philadelphia by David Ives
AL Devon S.
MARK Anna P.
WAITRESS Charlotte T.
Beauty by Jane Martin
CARLA Violet G.
BETHANY Hannah S.
Lost and Found by Jerry McGee
SHE Olive W.
HE Shamshad A.
Communication Gap by Bill C.
JAMES THOMAS Charlie H.
KATHERINE TURNER Anna W.
DMV Tyrant by Christopher D.
CUSTOMER Justine Alexandria B.
DMV LADY Kia S.
Act 2
“Night”
Seeing the Light by Robert McKay
NED Milla S.
MARSHALL Nicola M.
CASEY Anna P.
Misfortune by Mark Harvey Levine
CINDY Ila S.
BARRY Devon S.
STEPHANIE Thea de S.
Zombie Love by Earl Roske
EMILY Charlotte T.
KATHY Galen J.
WALTER Peter S.
Battle Tactics by Andy Hayne
SANDANE Nicola M.
ALDWYNN Justine Alexandria B.
PRAGUS Kia S.
TAELOR Lili M.
Minimalistic Men by Spenser Davis
JERRY Charlee L.
BRAD Isaac H.