Alongside Lend Me A Tenor, the Drama Department has a lot more in Store for EWG [ArticleImageHyperLink] Thursday, December 22, 2011 By Ashley Reese Advertising In recent years, the EWG Drama Department has become one of the key elements of the Exeter-West Greenwich identity. From musical to comedy, each production sells out by opening night. And even so, the theater group is here to surprise EWG yet again: in March, Voices From the High School will open to the public. The surprise? It’s entirely a student-directed performance. Yes, for the first time in Exeter-West Greenwich history, students are directing a one-act full ensemble production. Seniors Ericka Ricciutti, Samantha Dallas, and John Geyer have collaborated and taken the responsibility as directors of the show. Published in 1982 by playwright Peter Dee, the play examines the trials that exist for teenagers as they make their way through high school. “It’s a very honest look at high school and it doesn’t sugarcoat anything,” explains Dallas, “they do a very good job of really looking at, okay; this is what a person in this situation would be going through. And this is, you know, what high-schoolers experience – this I how we deal with it.” Who better to play high-schoolers than high-schoolers? With about seventeen students involved in the production, the show is a “co-piece of monologues, dialogues, and small scenes,” according to Geyer. And although EWG’s Drama Director of eight years, Glenn Zienowicz, is slightly involved in the production, it is largely a testimony of everything these three students have learned about theatre arts. “It is really a step into uncharted waters for us,” Ricciutti notes on taking the role as one of the directors. “We’ve never really had this kind of opportunity before. It’s really a great experience to be able to stand up and lead a group of our peers with such an immense amount of cooperation.” Although acknowledging the opportunity, the senior students feel the impact of the responsibility demanded by directing. Dallas explains, “we had auditions for about a week after school; it was a really tough process to decide [casting], because everyone did so well.” In the end though, everyone received a part. There are no leads, she explains, this is “truly an ensemble show.” The production will also showcase the student ability to perform. Voices From the High School “is wonderful because it can show just how great these young actors can be with their own abilities. There’s no adult telling us how to act,” said Geyer. “It’s a wonderful experience to see these kids do something great that is completely on their own.” Finally, the students agree, the show is coming together rehearsal by rehearsal, and for Ricciutti, Dallas, and Geyer, it is all about loving every minute of it. Specifically, Ricciutti remarks, “it’s fun to work with the individuals in a dialogue or monologue because we work with them individually. This makes for a really productive rehearsal.” The play is set to premiere at the Rhode Island State Drama Festival on March 16th and 17th. Likewise, although no final date has been set yet, the play will be performed at EWG sometime in later March. Because the play is so closely related to student lives, the show is expected to be an important and exciting reflection of the high school years. Dallas notes that just like high school, “there are parts of it that are funny, there are parts of it that are very sad. It’s not a comedy. It’s more dramatic.” When asked about the expected outcome of the production, the senior directors were very clear and replied in unison, “it’s going to be a great show. We expect everybody to be there.”

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