Arts

Theatre Preview

Drama labs are the heart and soul of Andover theatre. Hilarious and filled with new faces, they attract students even on busy weekend nights. As the David Ives’ Festival goes up this weekend, three plays feature both comedy and new talent. Molly Shoemaker ’08, is a first-time director for Friday night’s “Sure Thing.” The cast consists of only two actors, Nico Lanson ’07 who plays Betty and William Burke ’09 as Bill. The entire play takes place in a coffee shop, where the two characters meet for the first time. Bill tries to flirt with Betty, but makes serious dating faux pas, such as debating politics and reminiscing about past relationships. After each scene, a bell rings and the characters are transported back in time to reenact their first meeting. In the first scenes, Betty turns Bill down without a second glance, but as the play progresses, so does their relationship. The ending, however, will remain a mystery until Friday. “It’s really funny,” said Shoemaker. “Plus,” she adds jokingly, “I think it really relates to Andover students because the awkward situations that Billy and Betty get into often parallels the dating scene here at Andover.” Jokes aside, a lot of work has gone into the production. “There’s only two actors,” said Shoemaker, “so you can’t really rely on other people. We practiced six hours a week, but it was worth it, because we all learned our lines and had a lot of fun.” She also added, “It’s hard being a first time director, but the help I got from my peers made it worth while.” “Sure Thing” will be open to all students this Friday night, and everyone is encouraged to watch friends and classmates perform some lighthearted comedy. Also debuting this Friday is David Ives’s “Arabian Nights,” directed by Mike Crivaro ’06. Crivaro said the play “is primarily about subtext in conversations and the different ways in which various words and phrases can be understood.” Enter a translator, played by Caddy Yates ’08, Andrea Coravos ’06 as Flora, and Andrew Yankes ’08 as Howard, a tourist. Hilarity ensues when the translator completely twists everything around, causing Coravos and Yankes two to fall in love. “It’s hilarious,” exclaimed Yates as to the reason students should go, “it’s one of those goofy plays.” As with the other Ives play, there was a lot of work on the part of students. “We rehearsed for probably the past two weeks, with serious rehearsals for about a week.” said Yates. Crivaro explained, “I chose the play because it, like most Ives plays, is both amusing and somewhat poignant.” He also said, “This is the first chance I’ve ever had to direct, though I have acted at Andover before. I think I have a great cast and feel confident that it [along with the other Ives plays] will be a great show.