Madeline Yang
Writer '20
Alas, the annual Thespian Show at Great Neck North High School! It was “absolutely brilliant” as Brook and Peterson would call it. Only those who attended the sold-out plays that premiered not too long ago would understand. There were five short plays, directed by seniors at GNN: “Siorée de Rien” by Zachary Lee, a thespian at GNNHS, “A Play With Words” by Peter Bloedel, “Check Please” by Jonathan Rand, “4am” by Jonathan Dorf, and “Selfie” by Bradley Hayward. In “Siorée de Rien,” there were eight people watching a Absurdist Theater play: two theater critics, one couple, two friends and two strangers. In the beginning there was just a man in a mask sitting in a chair. Soon, a debate sprang up about Absurdist Theater and people started to take sides, creating a sense of animosity on stage. The debate was about whether people were correct about the meaning of the play or if it was just plain stupid. At the end of the play, a character that defended the absurdist play says, “You know what? This is garbage. Let’s go.”
In “A Play With Words,” most of the main characters were named after pronouns, except for the lead role dubbed “Scribe.” Scribe visits the Therapist, and is trying to assess a problem. The story that Scribe narrates sends him on a journey in search of “what.” At the end, Scribe finds “what” by hugging the Therapist.
“Check Please” is a short play about the two main characters- Guy and Girl. Guy and Girl are both in a restaurant speed dating and are having a terrible night due to the people that they encounter. The girls that Guy meet are incompetent and all have extreme flaws that make them unsuitable. Girl meets up with many guys that are nuisances that either toy with her or don’t listen to her. The play ends with Guy and Girl running each other as they go to the bathroom to escape their dates. As they exchange numbers, Girl’s date Mark asks for the check, signaling the end of their uninspired dinner.
“4 am” is a story of some random things that all happened at 4 am. The scenes include a broadcast, a guy writing a complaint letter to a knife company, two lovers, two girls and two guys having a sleepover. All of these scenes came together and constantly switch which made it a very interesting play. Not to mention that this play was very comedic, and the actors stupendously brought it to life.
“Selfie” is about eight school friends who battle with their inner demons. All of the friends spiral into internal conflicts, except for Laura who is always bright and joyful. Every conflicts was caused by how each of the characters wanted to search for a way in which they stood out in their small world. “As they document their year, one click at a time, they come to realize life is not about what other people see — it’s about the pictures they have of themselves.” However, as the other friends climb out of their dark times, one character named Laura found out she had leukemia and died by the end of the play. During the whole play, there was a screen in which pictures were displayed based off of what each character was talking about. Each slide corresponded with each person and each of their selfies. The last slide moved most of the audience, because of their emotional appeal.
The Thespian Show of GNNHS was much better in person than on paper. The students can make you laugh, cry and smile just with five, thirty-minute plays. It is obvious that the senior directors have achieved their goals of making their last year their best.
Writer '20
Alas, the annual Thespian Show at Great Neck North High School! It was “absolutely brilliant” as Brook and Peterson would call it. Only those who attended the sold-out plays that premiered not too long ago would understand. There were five short plays, directed by seniors at GNN: “Siorée de Rien” by Zachary Lee, a thespian at GNNHS, “A Play With Words” by Peter Bloedel, “Check Please” by Jonathan Rand, “4am” by Jonathan Dorf, and “Selfie” by Bradley Hayward. In “Siorée de Rien,” there were eight people watching a Absurdist Theater play: two theater critics, one couple, two friends and two strangers. In the beginning there was just a man in a mask sitting in a chair. Soon, a debate sprang up about Absurdist Theater and people started to take sides, creating a sense of animosity on stage. The debate was about whether people were correct about the meaning of the play or if it was just plain stupid. At the end of the play, a character that defended the absurdist play says, “You know what? This is garbage. Let’s go.”
In “A Play With Words,” most of the main characters were named after pronouns, except for the lead role dubbed “Scribe.” Scribe visits the Therapist, and is trying to assess a problem. The story that Scribe narrates sends him on a journey in search of “what.” At the end, Scribe finds “what” by hugging the Therapist.
“Check Please” is a short play about the two main characters- Guy and Girl. Guy and Girl are both in a restaurant speed dating and are having a terrible night due to the people that they encounter. The girls that Guy meet are incompetent and all have extreme flaws that make them unsuitable. Girl meets up with many guys that are nuisances that either toy with her or don’t listen to her. The play ends with Guy and Girl running each other as they go to the bathroom to escape their dates. As they exchange numbers, Girl’s date Mark asks for the check, signaling the end of their uninspired dinner.
“4 am” is a story of some random things that all happened at 4 am. The scenes include a broadcast, a guy writing a complaint letter to a knife company, two lovers, two girls and two guys having a sleepover. All of these scenes came together and constantly switch which made it a very interesting play. Not to mention that this play was very comedic, and the actors stupendously brought it to life.
“Selfie” is about eight school friends who battle with their inner demons. All of the friends spiral into internal conflicts, except for Laura who is always bright and joyful. Every conflicts was caused by how each of the characters wanted to search for a way in which they stood out in their small world. “As they document their year, one click at a time, they come to realize life is not about what other people see — it’s about the pictures they have of themselves.” However, as the other friends climb out of their dark times, one character named Laura found out she had leukemia and died by the end of the play. During the whole play, there was a screen in which pictures were displayed based off of what each character was talking about. Each slide corresponded with each person and each of their selfies. The last slide moved most of the audience, because of their emotional appeal.
The Thespian Show of GNNHS was much better in person than on paper. The students can make you laugh, cry and smile just with five, thirty-minute plays. It is obvious that the senior directors have achieved their goals of making their last year their best.