School News

Wantagh takes the stage with 'Our Town'

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Save the dates because next week Wantagh High School theater students will bring their audience back in time to the small settlement of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Based on the story by American playwright Thornton Wilder, “Our Town” is set in the early 1900s and told through the characters of George Gibbs and Emily Web and how their love story comes to life.

With almost 50 members in the overall cast, “Our Town” is told in three acts, with the first act, “Daily Life,” setting the scene, the second act, “Love and Marriage,” unraveling the couple’s problems, and the third act, “Death and Dying,” bringing the story full circle. Seniors Alexus Argueta and Alexander Stacy were named the stage managers and also act as an objective or “Godly voice” speaking directly to the audience.

“I like being a stage manager because I get to carry the play, I get the audience involved and help convey the story,” Argueta said. “I love theater and I really enjoy getting to entertain people.”

“I like that I can still be in the play but also be outside of it,” Stacy added.

Director Heather Naughton decided to create two separate casts for the show, with each cast performing different shows.

“The acting technique that we use here is the practical aesthetics by William Macy and David Mamet,” Naughton said. “One of the things that it encourages you to do is to take the script and create a bridge from it to your own personal experiences. The reason I love doing the double cast so much is because Anya’s ‘Emily’ shouldn’t be Alexa’s ‘Emily,’ but at the same time it gives them a place to bounce ideas off of each other.” She was referring to juniors Anya Hixson and Alexa Sgrai, who are sharing a lead role.

Both casts are working extremely hard in rehearsals, both after school and during their lunch periods to prepare for opening night. Bryce Powell and Kevin Ganzekaufer are excited to finally take the stage as George Gibbs.

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