Imagine living during the Civil War as a woman who was not eligible to fight for something she believed in. Civil Ceremony the fall play, follows a story of a woman who decides to dress as a man to help fight with her husband during the civil war; this play follows her life throughout the war effort. Written by Beth Gilliland, a local playwright that taught at Blake while Diane Landis was on sabbatical, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, making Civil Ceremony a great show to put on in honor of this memory.
What if you lived in a town where you had to pay to use the restroom everyday? Urinetown written by Greg Kotis, is this year’s spring musical – a hilarious comedy that delves into topics such as legal systems, social irresponsibility, corporate mismanagement, and capitalism just to name a few. The story is of a town that suffers from a 20 year drought, when a colossal company gains rights to charge citizens to use restrooms. Not affording the charge, members of the community are then sent to Urinetown, never to return or be seen again.
These shows were chosen because they both have great scripts, music, and charismatic roles. If you’re interested in learning more about the play and musical, the thespian team, a group of students who run the plays and musicals with the adult contributors, (Shruti Gupta ‘17, Mark Gustaferro ‘16, Calvin Rusley ‘16, Ruby McCallum ‘17, and Diane Landis) will have information for you. The shows do take time and commitment, but as Gupta says, “It’s really cool to see where they start at and where they finish!” Also be sure to look for the Student Directed Plays coming after the spring musical. Watch out for upcoming dates of auditions for the play and stay tuned for more information about Civil Ceremony.
