Thespians act it up

The Blair Thespians club showcased three student directed one act plays, one of which was student written. Costumes and setting were dull and unimaginative, but actors added spark to the stage and lived up to the reputation of Blair productions.

The Thespians performed No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre, directed by senior Griff Rees; Cover Up by Neville Bryant, directed by juniors Lilah Shreeve and Jojo Ruf; and Untitled at the moment written and directed by senior Dani Prados. There was laughter, sorrow, deception, evil plots, best of all no Shakespeare.

No Exit is about three souls who are damned to Hell for all of eternity. The character and plot development is intriguing and dramatic, but after an hour and ten minutes, it becomes repetitive. The play takes place in one scene; four panels frame three sofas, which are situated in the center of the stage.

The plot is abstract and difficult to grasp, but senior Stuart Berg (Joseph Garcin), senior Annie Peirce (Inez), and junior Jordan McCraw (Estelle) bring the play to life with their energy and vigor. What could be a dreary, depressing play about death becomes a lively, somewhat-eerie and odd performance that makes the audience think of their own mortality.

Cover Up is a pleasant change from the dry quips of No Exit, and adopts a laugh-out loud humor. The play takes place at Rosedale Private School for girls. The play begins when Miss Dankworth, played by junior Katie Aboudou, bursts into the office of the principal, Mrs. Worthington, played by freshman Nora Boedecker, and is completely overcome with hysteria. Aboudou sets the tone for the play with her energetic performance and her humorous antics. She reveals that she found a boy in the room of a student, which is against the rules of the school. She then describes, in full detail, and to the amusement of the audience, how she "overcame" the young man and locked him a broom closet. Because the scene takes place in the middle of the night, all the women are dressed in their pajamas, which provides for a relaxed mood during the scene.

Aboudou is a veteran of the Blair stage, and her confidence and ability are showcased well in her character, who is more like a caring mother than a teacher at a private school. On the advice of Vice Principal Miss Jones, played by freshman Gannett Cassidy, Mrs. Worthington decides to "cover up" the entire incident, but it becomes a complete disaster.

The costumes portray each character's personality as well as the time period. Cover Up was the highlight of the evening. It does a good job of showcasing new Blair faces all of whom are very strong actresses and actors. Senior Amanda Way plays a nervous, conservative, teenager, and serves as a contrast to the snobby, rich Kimberly Walford (freshman Jody Pollock) and Janet Harcourt (freshman Katie Frank).

Cover Up is the only play that makes use of Blair's state of the art lighting. At the end of the play, Miss Jones was highlighted by a red spotlight, to give her a sinister appearance.

The final performance, Untitled at the Moment is an impressive showing of students' talents; while the plot takes on a dreamy, make believe atmosphere, the characters keep up with the fast pace of the fantasy. At first, the plot seems complicated and confusing, however as the play develops the setting, characters, and conflicts become clearer.

The story is about life backstage during a performance and all the drama that surrounds human interaction. Character development is weak; though it's difficult to develop anything complicated in a half an hour. Untitled at the Moment is a cute play and is entertaining for half an hour, but does not have the creativity or unique plot that could make it go above and beyond.