PRODUCTION: The Poly theater program kicks off the 2018-2019 season with the student directed show Blithe Spirit.
By Emma Carson, Staff Writer
On Thursday, August 16, Poly theater premiered “Blithe Spirit,” a student produced play directed by seniors Lindsey Boucher and Julia Goldman. The play featured Poly seniors, juniors, and sophomores, and is the second show to be entirely produced and rehearsed by students over the summer. The show opened, ran for three nights, and closed on Saturday, August 18.
This summer show tradition at Poly began last year with the show “Steel Magnolias,” which premiered in September starring none other than “Blithe Spirit” director Lindsey Boucher. Both of these shows were completely student-produced, with the exception of limited help from theater teachers and advisors Chris MarkerMorse and Lisa Rankins. The production team, also made up of all students, worked on elements such as lights, sound effects, set, stage and deck managers, costumes, and poster art.
“Blithe Spirit” was written in the 1930s and has been a popular choice for high school shows since the 1960s. The story illustrates the life of Charles and Ruth Condomine, a married couple who invite spiritual medium Madame Arcati to their home, in order to conjure spirits for a book Charles is hoping to write. In the process of a seance, Madame Arcati brings back Charles’s dead wife Elvira, whom only Charles can see and hear, leading Ruth to believe he has gone insane. From there the plot spirals, and dark themes of murder, adultery, and mistreatment emerge only to be covered with the humor of the show.
Though the summer of meetings and rehearsals was a short two months, the idea of doing this show came to Boucher back in March, who then presented the idea to her fellow director Julia Goldman. “I pitched the show to our Jesters board because I needed them to give me the funds, and after weeks and weeks of debating, I finally got my show,” Boucher said. Goldman and Boucher even made a PowerPoint presentation to sway the theater board into a decision: “In order for Lindsey and I to end up doing this show we had to create a compelling argument on the benefits,” Goldman expressed.
The two seniors proudly put out their work and trusted their peers to represent the program and the students in it. The show sets the mood for the big year ahead with ambitious show choices such as the high school edition of “Rent,” “Our Town,” a series of teacher and student directed one acts, and the closing show: “Heathers The Musical: High School Edition”. “I have learned the wonderful idea of patience and what it means to be a director and all the responsibilities that come with it,” Boucher expressed. “The people surrounding me showed me the importance of remembering what you’re passionate about,” Goldman said. A great amount of work goes into the Poly theater productions and the student shows gives these individuals opportunities to have great experiences, preparing them for a life where communication is key.