“Theatre has been such a huge part of my life, from the hours and hours of after school rehearsals to the pressure and stress of show week and tech rehearsals.” Said Danny Lang ’15 who played the father of Eurydice in the One Act Play. “It has shaped my confidence and behavior and continues to strengthen my skills and strengths.”
Over the course of the school year the Westwood theater department puts on a number of plays and musicals. They started out the school year with a fall show called The Good Doctor. The Good Doctor is a compilation of scenes from the author Anton Chekhov.
After the fall show, the theater department puts on a talent show that any student with any talent can participate in. Some of the acts range from monologues to songs to poetry.
“One of my favorite acts that I saw was a magic demonstration by Matthew Donald ’18.” Said Ilana Svartz ’18 who also performed in the talent show but did a monologue. “His performance had humor and he was very enthusiastic about what he was performing, that’s what made his performance memorable.”
Another performance that was put on was the Wind in The Willows. The Wind In The Willows was the put on by the children’s theater class. This show, unlike many of the other performances, was executed at the Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center.
The senior play is a unique opportunity for one senior to direct a play of their choosing. This year, senior Erin Morley chose to direct The Red Velvet Cake War, a play set in the south U.S.A, where a family reunion goes haywire and a competition ensues to bake the best red velvet cake.
The final performance that was put on this school year was the One Act Play, Orpheus and Eurydice. This play was entered in the UIL Competition. Lauren Massey ’15 and Josh Jensen ’15 starred as Eurydice and Orpheus in the productions presented to the school. Earlier this year, Massey ’15 competed in the Austin Shakespeare Competition and got second place with her monologue from Troilus and Cressida.
In Orpheus and Eurydice, Eurydice is killed by falling off of a building after being threatened by Hades (on her wedding day) and journeys to the Underworld where she finds her father and three Stones who accompany her. Orpheus learns of her death and seeks out Hades to get Eurydice back. However, in order to get her back, he must walk out of the Underworld without turning back to look at her. Eurydice’s curiosity wins and she calls out to him, causing him to turn around. Eurydice dies again and shortly after Orpheus joins her once and for all.
It wasn’t only the actors and actresses that contributed to the production though. The tech theater classes worked on the set for around ten hours to make it look as accurate as possible.
“The hardest part of making the set was the construction of the lamps.” Said Timmy Pollard-Grayson ’18 who helped construct some of the set. “We didn’t have enough PVC to make the lamps so we had to try to scrounge some up from the campus.”
Can these talented actors and actresses of Westwood beat the odds?
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