Actors make scenes more relatable to teens

Sophomores+Delaney+Tobin+and+Darrean+Loy+act+out+a+scene+from+Sixteen+in+10+Minutes+or+Less.+Incorporating+some+scenes+from+the+actors+themselves%2C+the+play+tries+to+illustrate+the+daily+life+of+a+teen+through+a+compilation+of+short+plays.+

Sophomores Delaney Tobin and Darrean Loy act out a scene from “Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less.” Incorporating some scenes from the actors themselves, the play tries to illustrate the daily life of a teen through a compilation of short plays.

Josephine Rozzelle, Senior Reporter

The fall theater production “Sixteen in 10 Minutes or Less” will mark the first play that includes original scripts written by Convent and Stuart Hall students.

“I’ve really encouraged the actors to write scenes about their experiences,” director Pamela Rickard said about the show that is comprised of short plays, each depicting life at age 16. “That is going to be a very exciting part of the show.”

“Sixteen,” written by Canadian playwright Bradley Hayward, is a step in a different direction from previous fall productions, according to Rickard.

“The last two years we have done two Shakespeare plays,” Rickard said. “It is really about teenagers’ experiences and it’s not about teenagers playing 400-year-old characters.”

Although Rickard chose the show for its relatability to students, not all aspects of the play are up-to-date with current pop culture, according to cast member Sophie Egan.

“Some of the scenes are not accurate, like they email instead of text each other,” Egan said.

Writing their scripts provides an opportunity for students to add personal ordeals that reflect their own high school experiences, according to stage manager Maya Shur.

“A lot of people in the cast expressed concern that events they face in high school are not really in the show, and parts of the show are not really a reflection of how high school is,” Shur said. “People like having the opportunity to connect it to their own lives.”

The cast previously practiced their skills in classes on playwriting and improvisation, according to Rickard.

“Whenever you are playing any character, you can interpret it your own way,” Egan said. “But this way you get to create the character a little bit more.”

The play was written to fit a cast of seven, but the original pieces expand the cast to 21.

Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 and Friday, Nov. 11,  and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Tickets are $10 at the door.

“It is really about the struggles, trials, relations, joys and miseries of being a teenager,” Rickard said.