Langley High School's Theater Department will present "Spring Shorts," a night of student-directed, one-act plays, on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 in advance, $8 at the door. Call 703-287-2821.
THIS YEAR, the Saxon Stage has produced two shows. In December, the musical "The Wizard of Oz" was performed, and received positive reviews from more than 50 Cappies critics.
Courtesy of the theatrical effects company Flying by Foy, the Wicked Witch, Glenda, Dorothy, and many others actually flew — to the delight of audiences.
Recently on March 7, 8, and 9, Langley's theater department presented the 1930s comedy "You Can't Take It With You." A period piece, the cast had fun meeting the demands of the script (which called for a xylophone, typewriter, lots of fireworks, several guns and numerous snakes, among other things).
<bt>EVERY YEAR, Langley theater students travel to New York City to take advantage of the Big Apple's theatrical culture. Last spring students went to Hollywood for a week as well. This April, they will see Liam Neeson and Laura Linney on Broadway in "The Crucible," attend "Noises Off," and talk with the actors after both performances. They combine this trip with several workshops on acting and technical theater.
LANGLEY HIGH School's theater department has graduated some famous people; they include Lauren Graham, who is now on the television show "Gilmore Girls," Paula Cale from "Providence," and Lauren Roman, who was in "All My Children."
ART AND COFFEE: Langley High School experimented with its first Retro Coffee House in January 2001. Drama students recited monologues, read poetry, danced, and performed music and comedy acts. Taking place in the auditorium and featuring a self-serve coffee bar, one response was that the Retro Coffee House felt a bit more like a talent show.
The Coffee House provided an opportunity for students to take risks in new performance experiences.
"It was interesting to witness fresh talent. You may see these kids act in the school plays, but you don't know that they can also write songs or play the guitar. It brought new and different people together," said parent Mary Wilson.
Plans for this year's Retro Coffee House (tentatively scheduled in May) include holding it in a smaller, more intimate space with a stronger retro atmosphere.
DRAMA 3 AND 4 students offer "Silly Saxons," a collection of "Saturday Night Live"-style comedy scenes. "Silly Saxons" gives students who usually may not participate in extra-curricular productions a chance to fine-tune their comedic acting skills and practice them outside of the classroom.
In previous years, "Silly Saxons" has taken place at night, much like other shows. This year, however, "Silly Saxons" was incorporated into the school day with hopes of making drama productions more easily accessible to the student body.
"'Silly Saxons' was a great in- and out-of-class project that we enjoyed working on to present to the school as a break from academics. We got a lot of positive feedback, so we know that the school is appreciating what drama is all about," said senior Adam Humenansky.
THIS PAST VALENTINE'S DAY, a few lucky students received a love telegram personally (and dramatically) interpreted by a winged Cupid.
As a service to those less comfortable in the spotlight, LHS Thespians presented Cupid Express, a love-poem delivery system that allowed hopeless romantics to anonymously express their love through an intermediary — a thespian dressed as Cupid.
The idea was a small but sweet success. "I don't think many people realized what Cupid Express was all about, since this is the first year we've done anything like it," said junior Richie Roberts, who dressed up to help deliver the telegrams.
"But students enjoyed seeing Cupid recite love-poems to their embarrassed classmates. Even the teachers smiled at the presentations. Now that people have seen how much fun it is, we hope for a big response next year."