Beneath the glow of stage lights, the characters Agnes and Virgil linger just off-screen, suspended between fiction and reality. The audience watches with bated breath as they plead with Pym, a meticulous film restorer, to alter the ending of the movie and save them. Pym must decide whether to help them or leave with her husband Gary for their anniversary dinner, weighing their fictional fate against her own marriage.
Last Friday, Drama Labs staged a mini production of Vinegar Syndrome, directed by Natalie Giancola ’28. Despite having just six rehearsal sessions, the cast delivered a remarkably cohesive performance. In addition, Drama labs brought Paper and Inc to the stage, directed by Jeannie Kang ’28.
“I picked this play because I thought it did a really interesting job of weaving together multiple themes while still being a short, ten‑minute piece that’s super fun to direct. It’s funny and engaging, but it also plays with complex ideas, and I really liked that. I’ve always been interested in acting, I’ve done multiple shows at Andover, and I just wanted to try something new and step into a different role in theater,” said Giancola.
For actor Takunda Basvi ’28, who played the flustered husband Gary in Vinegar Syndrome, stepping into a new role was both a challenge and exciting milestone in her acting journey.
“It felt great. It’s always fun to play a different character, especially since Gary is a male character. I got to explore that and embody it, which was really cool. I feel like it adds to the range of roles I’ve played, which is exciting,” said Basvi.
However, this creative process was not without its obstacles. Giancola pointed to the distinctive set design and costuming as particularly difficult, requiring innovative solutions on a tight timeline.
“Costuming was a bit tough; we wanted to get that old‑timey feel, which was hard to put together. Also, navigating the stage was tricky, it’s uniquely shaped with the audience on three sides, so we had to adjust the blocking to make everything more dynamic. But I’m really impressed with my cast, they did such an amazing job putting everything together so quickly,” said Giancola.
Reflecting on her own directing experience, Kang shared the rewarding feeling that followed the production. Between audience enthusiasm and teamwork, Kang felt proud of the show’s success.
“The outcome of the performance, seeing everything come together and seeing my actors being proud of their performance. I always enjoy audiences having fun and feeling like they’re a part of the performance, so seeing that audience react to the show was great,” said Kang.
This round of Drama Labs also marked a unique shift in Kang’s creative process, with new challenges from her previous directing experience. Kang moved forward with determination, undeterred by the differences.
“Natalie, who was my actor last time, was co-directing another play, so that was fascinating and also, we had I had a different set of actors and a script that I had not written myself, so it was a little bit more challenging trying to understand what that writer must have thought of when writing the script,” said Kang.
As the lights dim and the applause fades to a halt, both young directors already have their sights set on future endeavors. With a new year, the directors are eager to welcome more students into the fold.
“I would encourage everyone to try out DramaLabs because it is really an opportunity to get to know new people, learn a little bit more about acting and directing and most importantly, having fun because that is what Phillip’s Academy is all about,” said Kang.
