DW DeWitt; Producer
There is something completely magical about watching my children on stage. It’s not their youth I envy (I wouldn’t go back a day for all the money in the world…) but it has more to do with the fact that when they are up on the stage, I almost forget they are the two beautiful beings I gave birth to. They “become” their characters and I am in awe of their abilities to remember their lines, cues, timing and transform themselves into characters I have yet to know.
As a writer, I only wish that one day, something I may write will inspire the kind of performances I’ve been blessed to see portrayed by my own children and their friends. Let me tell you a little about the Danvers High School Academy Theatre’s production of Epic Proportions, that they so brilliantly displayed yesterday during DramaFest ’09.
The premise is that Epic Proportions is a play within a movie. The movie within the play is an epic production of all of the greatest moments that have transpired throughout human civilization. There are pyramids, plagues, Octavian, murderous plots and 3,400 people who are on set as extras. The story begins with two brothers, Benny and Phil, who find themselves on location in the Arizona desert, as part of a large group of extras, who will be appearing in this new epic movie by (the famous — to them, at least) DW DeWitt, movie producer and director.
The group of 3,400 extras are being handled by the Alaskan native, Louise Goldman, who is soft-spoken and gets herself caught up in relations with the two brothers. Louise is a tender-hearted, over-whelmed, professional who ends up in the very center of this plot of twists-and-turns. The audience can’t help by cheer her on through every encounter she has with diva-mega-stars who curse and smoke, directors who scream obscenities and demand acts of God to be obtained through pyrotechnics, and the two brothers who have each captured her heart in the process.
The brothers are sheer comic pleasure. Benny, the younger of the two has big dreams of being discovered as a star in his bit scenes as an extra and Phil, the over-achieving, older brother who is first singled out and promoted is obviously the more out-going and confident of the two. But like all good stories, the moral in this one is Benny, the tortoises slow and steady pace that wins the girl.
The lines are hysterical and laugh-out-loud funny; the situations these characters find themselves in is true, comedic genius and I dare any Broadway Production Company to compare to what these teenagers did by way of a first-rate performance. The costume changes, the physical comedy, the comedic timing and the caliber of acting would be hard to copy by any drama troupe. The set is simple, yet dramatic. As the play progresses, without any change in the scenery, the audience is transported from the Roman Empire to the Pyramids of Egypt to the bedroom of a Queen right into the scene of a botched surprise birthday party being attended by cast, crew and extras. The set design came together with the scene changes in a simplistic, yet classic style and was all from the imagination of the talented Miss Emma.
No greater honor could be bestowed upon a director as the words of praise that were heard throughout the day for our very own director, Mr. Tim O’Donnell. If given the chance, each parent would love to be considered a part of Tim’s Team, if even for a day. It is humbling to watch what Tim can get the students to do with barely raising of his voice. He came into their lives last year as a Danvers graduate and brand new director and brought this beautiful group (and the students who have since moved on to colleges, jobs, etc.) to the Finals of DramaFest ’08. I know that the murmur from amongst the parents is, “How does Tim get them all to listen, at one time, without having to offer bribes and such?” Because we are in awe of what you do, Tim, that a special thank you goes out to you! For showing us, through our children, what real team work is about and how the level of dedication and commitment can take them so far. We are as proud of you, Tim, as we are our own kids.
I couldn’t agree more with the judges as they awarded special recognition to: the characters of Phil, Benny, Louise and the ever-demanding stage presence of the saucy, sassy, flamboyant Contessa. Each of these actors had us all on our feet as they were announced, one by one, with the other actors from the other schools being celebrated during yesterday’s DramaFest ’09. As each one of the actors left the school building, they were met by cheering parents, family and friends, who formed a pathway for the actors to exit the building.
As a parent, I have to admit I had to hold back tears as we cheered the actors on their way from DramaFest ‘o9. Some of the students I have known personally since their days at the Learning Tree Preschool in Danvers, MA, others I have met over the course of a year while my own children became acquainted with this group of thespians. I made it a point to look around to the other parents as our children were being honored and what I saw was the stuff I hope Heaven is made up of: parents cheering, whistling, dancing, crying for each one of our brave teens who could not have made us more proud with their performances. And more importantly, I loved the way we each cheered for our students as if we had all given birth to each one! The kind of love that poured from that audience last night, was nothing shy of pure, unconditional love and adoration, each parent for each student. I am proud to be a part of such a loving, supportive, nurturing community.
All hail to the cast and crew of Epic Proportions!
Leave a comment
Comments feed for this article