Play Production waving to the audience. Photo by Julie Yu.
The Malden High Play Production held their 2019 Spring Showcase. The program included “an evening of short plays and musical numbers.” The spring showcase was held at the Jenkins Auditorium on May 22 and 23.
Director Jennifer Clapp assigned each student a role based off how well they fit each role. The students began the production of the show about a month ago shortly after they finished the previous show, Common Space. This spring show gave the students of Play Pro a more hands on role with the production of it.
Sophomore Isabella Geronimo was featured in the play “A Hint of Jasmine” as the character Aster. That play was directed by senior Michelle Chan and written by sophomore Ayman Boudrari. Geronimo says that “[Chan] was really helpful” during the process of the show. She stated that “memorizing [her] lines was the toughest part because it was the show where [she] had the most lines.” Her first year in Play Production has been memorable as she describes it as “a place were [she] can be [her]self.”
Sophomore Nicholas Murray played a featured role in “Broad Shoulders” as the character Ethan. Although he was a part of the acting portion of the show, he states that “The people that wrote and directed got to feel what it was like to work more closely with the art of plays” and “worked closely with the other students to make their own show in the way they viewed it and wanted it to look.” He enjoyed being a supporting character and watching the other students perform. Murray describes joining Play Pro this year as “one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences ever.” Many of the members have had similar opinions working together, describing as “truly a family and [it is] so fun to grow with the class and to have fun together making special moments.”
Broudrari wrote the short play “A Hint of Jasmine” and acted as the character Ezra in “Broad Shoulders”. He says that the plays have been written early on and “[did not] actually start performing them until maybe late March, early April.” He expresses that it was a challenge since they had less time than usual for building up a show. As a writer for one of the short plays, he states “It felt incredible to see other actors perform a show [he] wrote.” Writing “ gave [him] a sense of pride and accomplishment” and “see[ing] the audience enjoy [his] work as well [was] incredible.”
Being a part of Play Pro has fulfilled a dream of Broudrari’s. He expressed that “since [he] was a little kid [he] wanted to do something in acting, perform in plays and shows.” Broudrari played Ezra Figaro, whose character was “passionate and willing to fight for what he wants.” Although he could connect to that aspect of the character, he states “Ezra’s character is a lot different than [him].” Broudrari describes Ezra as “ hot-headed, reckless, and is willing to stand up to anyone for what he wants.” He had to really channel the personality of his character which proved to be a challenge at first since his previous roles have been more comedic.
Sophomore Ronald Batista worked alongside Broudrari and Murray in “Broad Shoulders” as the character Sam. Working alongside “good cast members . . . made it easier to jump off of each other’s energy and take it a step further” in their acting. Batista found it a challenge to keep everyone on task with senior director Makesha Mercedat on internship. Having the director away was challenging “not having someone there to guide you” but “It was a good experience for [them] to grow and help direct in a sense.”
Senior Dexter Haag had the role of writing and acting in the show. He wrote the play “Just Getting Started: A Tango with the Mesolimbic Pathway”. Haag has “had an interest in directing for some time now, so this was certainly a good gateway” for him to test his skills. As a senior, he “had a lot of experience and felt super prepared for anything.” He also played the character “George” in “The Actor’s Nightmare”. Memorizing lines was slightly a challenge due to the senior spring activities. However, he says that “doing lighter comedies like this is always fun and it made for a less hectic spring than some other years.”
