Memories of old friends and lost loves drag complicated emotions to the stage at this weeks DramaLabs. The Phillipian sat in on rehearsals of this weeks’ DramaLabs, and here is a sneak peek. “Coming Back Home” No matter how far you run away from your problems or how long you hide from them, when you eventually go back, they are still there. Bree (Jackie Murray ’13) learns this tough lesson in the original play “Coming Back Home,” written by Julie Zhou ’13 and directed by Arianna Chang ‘13. Bree returns home from college for winter break and goes to a New Year’s Eve party, where she runs into her old best friend Ethan (Andries Feder ’13), who she has not seen in two years. From initial small talk, their conversation develops into a poignant argument about what happened to their friendship and why Bree fled from troubles at home. As the intensity mounts, a new character (Lydia Krapelian ’13) makes an appearance that shakes up the situation and delivers a shock to the audience. “It will definitely keep the audience at the edge of their seats,” said Chang. Chang said, “Working with my actors was fantastic. They already had great chemistry which was perfect for their roles. During casting, I just knew they were the right fit for their characters.” This DramaLab stands out from the rest because it is student-written. Chang came across the script on the computer of her friend Zhou and knew instantly that she wanted to direct it. “It was amazing! I was immediately drawn in and I could picture each part of the scene really clearly.” said Chang in an e-mail to The Phillipian. “I was blown away by the maturity and eloquence of Julie’s writing.” “Tainted Love” Directed by Kennedy Edmonds ’12, the play “Tainted Love” by Walter Wykes will evoke sentimental feelings in the audience as the main character (Nick Tonckens ’12) reminisces on particular moments in his life and his relationship with a certain girl, opening each memory as if it were a computer file. “As the scenes change, the boy (Auggie Horner ’14) and girl (Susannah Hyde ’13) grow older. The audience follows the twists and turns of their relationship through the man’s memories,” said Edmonds in an email to The Phillipian. Edmonds said, “The strong feelings of tension and regret are almost tangible throughout the show, so hopefully audience members will find themselves well-engaged.” To further entice the audience, Edmonds said, “There are even a few kissing scenes!” Directing his second Dramalab, Edmonds is confident that the hard work of his cast and crew will pay off. “My actors, my stage manager, my producer and I have all worked very hard on the show, so I really hope there’s a good turnout,” he said. With unique scene lighting, an intricate storyline and not to mention multiple stage kisses, the audience will surely be enthralled.
