Playpro preparing for a previous show in the 2018-2019 school year. Photo from Blue and Gold archives.
Every year the play production class at Malden High School put on a spring play. This year the group will be putting on a very special performance as it is going be different from its usual show done every year. Unlike many other performances that Playpro has put on this year, this show will be six short plays that are eight to ten minutes long per show. It will be called Noise Complaint.
This play has a mixture of show tunes as well as student written plays. One show tune coming from the musical Hair Spray and one from The Sound of Music. The plays vary from funny pieces, to serious social issues that many students face throughout the country.
So far into the process, the roles have been given as well as song numbers chosen, and learning the choreography for the show. They have also finished the set of the show.
Working to set up this play has not been an easy task for the playpro students. Sophomore student Ava Pizziferri, explained that “learning the choreography has been very stressful.” Another student, junior Moez Bensalem, explained that he has found the time to practice for the show to be the most stressful part because “May is a very busy time at Malden High. Everyone is trying to get into the auditorium, so it is hard for [them] to always get the practice that [they] need.”
However, there has also been some very positive and fun times while working on this play. “Getting to bring characters to life and a story that [their] own peers created is really exciting. Getting to actually do a choreographed music number is also fun and a first for the year” said sophomore Sandra Rivadeneira.
During this show, the students have also learned about the lives of other people within other cultures; different to theirs. One student, sophomore Ronald Batista, said “[he] slightly learned about what it is like to be a Jewish student. [He] also got to learn some new words.” Bensalem also shared that “[he has] learned more about the set, as well as building, due to [his] new position as a stage director and not acting.”
The class looks forward to sharing their show with the school next week. The Playpro class will be performing their show next Wednesday, May 22nd, and Thursday, May 23rd.
