Busy parents, salmon suits, military school, and yeast infections. An unlikely mix? Perhaps, but these were just some of the elements of last week’s theater classroom double feature. The performance began, after a breif lighting problem, with Brief Rebellion, directed by Megan Winn ’07. It was followed by Just be Frank directed by Nathaniel Flagg ’07. Brief Rebellion tells the story of Dick, a teenage boy (Danny Silk ’07) whose parents, (Rebequah Yankes ’07 and James Krendel-Clark ’07) are prominent, constantly busy members of their community. Because they are so pre-occupied with other commitments, they have very little time to be together as a family. Dick resents his parents’ neglect, and after his father misses a fishing trip, he shows his anger by demolishing the church his parents had spent so long redecorating. The play ends when Dick is sent to military school for a more disciplined environment. Winn was very happy with the outcome. She said, “It was a great experience for everyone involved, and I think it worked out great. I really have a great cast.” Indeed, she was correct. Brief Rebellion featured an immensely talented cast, and each equally contributed to the performance’s success. Silk played the part of a disappointed, pouting teenager perfectly, as did Yankes and Krendel-Clark as his hopelessly distracted parents. One of the best performances of the night came from Lily Mathison ’07 as Dick’s best friend, Betty. She performed with an amazing amount of honesty and emotion. Tori Anderson ’07 and Alicia Varma ’07 rounded out the cast as Agnes and Ethel, two church-going do-gooders who were the first on the scene of the crime. Aside from a small, awkward pause midway through the performance, the play ran smoothly and seemed to be well rehearsed. The touching tale of a boy’s struggle to bring his family closer together delivered a poignant reminder of the importance of family, . After a brief intermission and set change, the night continued with Just Be Frank, the comedic story of Charlene, a driven business executive (Kaia Lubanko ’05). After commenting on the importance of absolute honesty, she finds herself thrust into a world where the little lies we tell every day are substituted for the harsh truth. On her quest for a promotion she speaks to a “meek” colleague (Lilly Stein ’07), a disheveled executive (Emma Dorsey ’06), a male secretary with an inferiority complex (Charles Francis ’07), and her oblivious boss (Andrew Yankes ’08). With each encounter the hilarity increases as Charlene learns exactly what her co-workers think about her. Flagg did an excellent job as director, but it was his cast who really brought the show to great heights. Dorsey in particular was extremely funny. Her blunt, down-to-earth portrayal of Jan was one of the highlights of the play. Her role was complimented well by Francis’ hilarious secretary. Just be Frank and Brief Rebellion came together to make a very entertaining night for the large number of students who attended the double feature. Mixing clean-cut acting with honest depictions of society, both plays met expectations and left their mark as two of the year’s most reputable theater classrooms.
