By Julie DeFrancia

As we get further into the fall semester of school at Granada Hills Charter (GHC), a bigger light starts to shine on the many extracurriculars for student involvement. 

We can dive deep and take a look into the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) department. Dive a little deeper and we’ll see the Drama Department. 

It is around this time that a variety of students take part in the yearly Fall Play. This year, the spectacular performance was Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”; a magical, fun comedy!

But it’s common to think that in order to join, you need prior experience in performing– whether that be acting, singing, and/or dancing. However, Drama teacher and director Stuart Fingeret thinks otherwise. He believes in giving chances to all students, no matter their history. 

While some theater groups hold auditions for people to audition for certain characters, Fingeret does this differently and casts students for roles that are fit for them; making the audition process a time for them to show their strengths.

Now, this creates a different outcome for all students and gives them an experience that may or may not be different from what they’re used to. 

On one hand, you may see students and friends that you recognize from previous shows if you’ve attended. You may say to yourself, “Hey I know them! They were in the show last year!” On the other hand, there may be students that you don’t recognize– and no, it’s not because of the flashy makeup and dramatic costumes. These are just things that meet the peoples’ eyes and in reality, each and every student a part of this production all have their story to tell about theater.

This is about what different types of students go through; whether it be for rehearsals, their characters, and the community around them. 

When people think of theater, or at least, acting, they assume that actors have been doing this for years. This is where we encounter the “experienced senior”, or someone who has attended GHC and has done theater all four years. This is someone like senior Conner Shoukeir. 

Since freshman year, Shoukeir has been enlightened with passions for theater. So, in turn, he has gone through the journey of learning different techniques, learning about all his different characters, and showcasing his talents in many shows. 

“Everyone in this community has been really excellent, teaching me a lot of stuff, not only in terms of shows, but how to portray my characters and how to give notes,” said Shoukeir. 

Shoukeir expressed his satisfaction with how far he’s come as a performer and how much this major role boosted his excitement for the show. This production was his final fall play as he portrayed the character of Lysander– a determined romantic for his lover Hermia. 

Because people are given roles that are best fit for them, there’s a chance that one student could go from having a spot in the ensemble to a major role. Students like senior Maxwell Castillo have been able to discover these comparisons for benefits in the future. This creates the different levels of familiarity with the theater program.

“With all of my other roles, I’ve been minor characters, and that’s not to say that it’s less effort because every role has its efforts,” said Castillo. “But with Oberon, it’s a lot more effort. It’s a lot more talking and it’s a lot more acting”.  

Similar to Shoukeir, this was Castillo’s last fall play. Oberon, the Fairy King, whose mischievousness is fueled by his jealousy for his wife, Titania, is where Castillo showed how all of his hard work has paid off. He conveyed how fulfilling it felt to be in this show and how hard everyone worked for the audience. 

Those who are new to the theater program here and GHC overall also discover their first experiences as they get ready to step onto the stage. Someone like freshman Maylin Villa-Real has made this discovery. 

Villa-Real has had prior theater experience before attending GHC; acting in middle school musicals such as “Addams Family” and “Once on this Island”, but getting nervous is common when being in an entirely new environment. Rehearsals, however, have helped her meet new people and get a feel for how theater operates on campus. 

“I feel so happy because I was scared to feel what the environment’s going to be like,” said Villa-Real. “I was scared people were going to judge me. But everyone here is so sweet and I feel like I’m in the right place, you know?” 

Villa-Real played a fairy of the forest who, along with other fairies, are the fun-loving subjects of the Fairy Queen Titania. She has high hopes for her journey of acting here especially after using this found-community to fuel her excitement. 

Actors aren’t the only ones contributing to the show though, as so much is happening in the background– or should we say– backstage. Actors are the talent to the show, while Tech Crew is the backbone to make sure everything runs smoothly. 

For the students in Tech Crew, their student leaders are the stage managers. Senior Hailey Telebrico has always worked hard in the crew, but that has thus changed this year. Telebrico is now following in the footsteps of previous stage managers and taking on big responsibilities as one of this year’s managers. 

On Telebrico’s part, there are many differences between being a part of Tech Crew and running many things that happen backstage. 

“Being stage manager means a lot of jumping from different places because tech covers different things; like mics,” said Telebrico. “I move between multiple people who need help, especially people who are new to tech. It’s really hectic, but it’s fun and I enjoy it. I love the actors too. They make my job easier because they’re willing to do whatever I ask.”

Throughout her years working backstage, Telebrico has created many bonds with a lot of the actors and has really learned to coordinate everything happening all at once. Despite all the challenges, hiccups, and confusions that need to be solved, she has really encapsulated why time and patience are the effort for a splendid performance. 

Participating students also change their positions in the shows. While some actors change their perspectives in the acting community, others branch out and new positions that they can be involved with. Sophomore Andres Valle is someone like this as he pursued acting last school year, and became a part of Tech Crew this year. 

“It’s different because you’re not called upon as much yet,” said Valle. “You could say that both actors and crew have the same amount of work because you could be pouring your heart out into a scene. Whereas in tech, you’re going to be very on top of all the cues. So it’s a very different change, but it feels similar at the same time.”

Valle has expressed how many hours of physical work and running around has compared to working on character work and setting the stories up. He now has gone through two journeys in order to build up a performance and for the future, can now reflect on these different efforts. 

All in all, theater is not just actors putting on a show. Rehearsals are how the characters are discovered, meetings with tech keep everything coordinated and organized, and finding the community is how everyone gains the confidence to show their talents. 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream for GHC was overall a comedic success, but this isn’t where the story concludes. The Drama Department’s extracurricular expedition continues in the second semester when the Spring Musical is put into gear. Here’s hoping for another successful show this year!