Play Brings A Senior’s Project To Life

By Tanjua Damon

What I Learned In School Today, a student-written play by senior Deirdre Dougherty, showed the reality of life in high school and the talent of a young writer who has the craft of grabbing an audience’s attention with a powerful play.

Deirdre fine-tuned her one-act play during the fall senior projects class at Newtown High School. She performed a glimpse of her play for an audience of judges during the presentations of senior projects in January. She told the group then that she would have a public performance of her work in the spring, which she did with fellow classmates June 4 in the Newtown High School Lecture Hall.

A cast of ten performers brought the lecture hall to life with comedy and drama as the play came full circle for the young author. The play itself addressed the issues that high school students have to deal with, including finding out who they are, what group they should belong to, relationship issues, and unexpected tragedy.

Zoe, played by Leah Blewett, was a good girl who worked hard, but was viewed by her classmates as heartless and distant. She spoke her mind and did not care what people thought about her.

Scott, played by Mike Sobo, was a discipline problem who did not really like school. He felt unsuccessful and worthless because most people would not give him a chance.

Zoe and Scott meet at the principal’s office and talk about the different ways people can be successful and how people are good at different things.

The major conflict in the play is when a classmate dies in a car accident. The entire school mourns the death of their classmate, even those who did not know him. The students in the school have to learn how to deal with a tragedy and how to lean on one another to get through the situation.

Deirdre did a wonderful job of creating characters with amazing personalities. She is a talented writer who uses description well so her audience can visualize and understand the plot. Her observations and understanding of life in a high school are on target and insightful.

Her cast did a great job of performing and entertaining the audience. The informal atmosphere allowed for the audience to relax and enjoy the show.

Other characters included Jeff Corbeil as the principal, Travis Finlayson as Mr Sampson, Kristen Coates as Laura, Janine Pixley as Stacy, Michelle Black as Dana, and Lauren Parrish, Elizabeth English, and Josh Ellen as the Ensemble.

The crew did a great job of providing a simple set and lighting that fit the informality of the play. Crew members included Dan Henry, Erin Thomas, Lauri Manion, Amanda Tredger, Donald Rowe, Josh Tamarkin, James Kaechele, Dan Amodeo, Paul Kastner, and Katie Mayer.

Deirdre Dougherty also directed and produced the one-act play she wrote.