Written by: Emily Ortega, Staff Writer
BRAVO: Shows to cry to, to laugh to, and to close the 2022 school year.
The concluding theater shows of the year, by far the most gratifying and stressful time for those most involved in the theater department here at Poly. However the productions put on this year, have collectively included hidden gems such as an outdoor, half-modernized production of Marshall Barer’s “Once Upon a Mattress” and a talent-filled production of Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters”. Long at last, Poly’s theater can sulk into and absorb the final, highly anticipated productions of the year.
One Acts: April 21st-23rd
The One Acts Festival occurs here at Poly every other year and includes a plethora of student-written and directed plays. This opportunity not only allowed those lowerclassmen interested in directing and writing a chance to take a plunge, but also provided seniors the opportunity to produce new art, one last time. One Acts included a series of senior-produced work such as Elizabeth Calderon’s (12) “Ghosts” and Jordan Arcos’s “The Unjust Fate of Danny Carver”. Although these small pieces of art have been produced and now have come to an end, One Acts in turn opened new doors for new actors as well as began to close the door for our theater seniors here at Poly, and laid the foundation for the final show of the year.
Polypalooza April 26th
In order to promote the final productions of the year, all performing and visual arts groups here on Poly’s campus managed to pull together the art event of the year, including everything from a free ice cream at the door to performances from Music Tech, Theater, Show Choir, Chamber Singers, Color Guard, Comedy Sportz, Band, and Orchestra. Additionally, the event included displays from Art Club and a hefty concession snack and drink stand from Choir. Together, they made an extravagant collection to give the audience a night to remember.
Reflections Of Broadway May 15th-16th
Our final show of the year brought into the spotlight Reflections of Broadway. This showcase takes everything good about One Acts and adds a musical twist to it. Students, along with Mr. MarkerMorse the theater teacher here at Poly, take 15 minute snippets from several popular musicals, such as Heathers, 21 Chump Street, Six, Falsettos, Avenue Q, and Hamilton in order to put together a production of every popular song sung by theater students all around the world. Performing students must learn to put together music, dance, and a story all within the small amount of time left in the school year. Even though this last production has provided significant amounts of stress to many seniors, many are grateful to squeeze a last performance into the school year and make their mark, as well as finally close the door on their high school theater career.
Although it may be difficult, for seniors the curtain is inevitably closing on their high school performance experiences. Obviously we will be seeing many of them again – perhaps on the big screen. They certainly have the talent to continue in the entertainment industry if that is where they focus their futures.
