On Jan. 24 at 2pm and 7:30 p.m., freshmen and sophomore LHS Stageplayers took the stage of the Studio Theatre to present a powerful, yet comedic, performance.
The play revolves around Don Browning, played by sophomore Charlie Wells, a man who takes a road trip back to his childhood home in Iowa to spread his father’s ashes. The road trip features flashbacks of the Browning family, with the young Don played by sophomore Nate Wagner.
Sophomore Josie Phillips, Don’s mom, reflected on the experience as very beneficial for her acting skills. She also credited the production and the Technical Director, Mr. Jeremy Blair, for teaching her new crew skills.
“I learned a lot of lessons that will help me in the future about my [acting] capabilities and comedic timing,” Phillips said. “I also learned that making connections with people in real life can make a big difference on stage.”
As Don takes his road trip to Iowa, the adult Don experiences parallel adventures compared to his childhood adventures with his dad, played by sophomore Will Mills. Despite the emotional essence of the play, the various adventures of the family road trips add a touch of humor to lighten the mood.
The production’s stage manager, freshman Francis Tscheyka, was very excited about the opportunity to step up and learn more about leading a cast and crew.
“I got to be friends with all the cast and learn about stage managing in different aspects within technical and set crew, and it was just super fun,” Tscheyka said. “I learned how to write down different cues in my script and work with a bunch of different departments of people.”
The annual frosh/soph play takes place every winter. It is an especially unique opportunity for upperclassmen as two student directors are selected to work alongside Mr. Christopher Thomas, the production’s director. This year, seniors Marley Herchenbach and Mary Weatherly were selected to be mentors for the up-and-coming Stageplayers.
“I loved getting to help reaffirm the confidence that [the underclassmen] have in themselves and seeing them create and develop their characters throughout the entire process,” Herchenbach said.
Herchenbach, who participated in both of her frosh/soph productions, credits the experiences as some of the most enjoyable and enlightening LHS Theatre productions she has been in. She also notes that the skills that assisted her in this student director role came primarily from her experience as a director for two One Acts in the past.
“I definitely recommend people to be involved with [frosh/soph] however they can,” Herchenbach said. “Student directing was such a good experience for me, too.”
Libertyville Theatre Department’s next production, “A Murder is Announced,” will take the Auditorium stage on Feb. 7 and 8 at 7:30pm.
