On Stage At Madison "A Piece of My Heart" Written by Shirley Lauro Nov. 7, 8, 9 at 7:30 p.m. To be performed at Fairfax High School due to renovation in Madison High's auditorium Tickets are $5 in advance $7 at the door Call 703-319-2306 for more information Due to the dramatic nature of this production, it is not recommended for children under the age of 10.
Where can you find passion, drama, suspense, comedy, and a surplus number of Wanzos? The Theater Department of James Madison High School is where these things combine to create a bundle of exuberance and pure insanity. All this is before we are even confronted with an audience; when we do have an audience the energy is even more concentrated. The intensity of our program will be made evident with our first production, "A Piece of My Heart." The play focuses on six women and their experiences in the Vietnam War. This evokes some very strong emotions and passions from our company and those passions combine to add a depth and richness to our relationships and performances. As with all groups of people, there are bound to be personality conflicts. It is a proven fact of human nature that people who work together will sometimes disagree. I am happy to report, however, that we in the JMHS drama "family" are a close-knit group of students, teachers, and parents providing mutual support and services. Our vocal coach, Sharon Baldwin, is a distinguished voice teacher who volunteers her time each spring to help us with our annual musical. Our choreographer, Jennifer Koonce, also takes time from coaching the James Madison two-time national champion dance team to ensure our swift and fluid movements are in sync. We also get quite a bit of help in our technical areas; things like lights, sound, music, construction, props, costumes, and ticket sales. This list could go on forever. The technical crews make sure the actors have a stage to act on, a set to work with, things to wear, things to hold, light to be seen in – again the list could continue into oblivion. Our techs are some of the nicest people on two feet. Without our techs, most of us lowly actors would be in very poor shape indeed. The techs know this, but it is important that our "Rebels Without Applause" be recognized in print. But we have been neglecting the fun stuff, so let's talk. Every day the Drama room is filled to the brim with laughter. Drama is a natural gathering place for class clowns and extroverts, so there are bound to be infinite jokes and hilarious moments that don't fade after graduation. Some of the people that keep the rest of us in stitches have been cast in very serious roles, and still managed to keep the spirits in the room up. For example, as a wounded man being dragged into the operating room and prodded by the nurse, the actor bursts into a fit of giggles and amidst his laughter exclaims, "That tickles!" "Wanzo" as it appears in the first paragraph, is a fun and affectionate term for a member of our company. A term invented by our current director, to be called a Wanzo is both an insult and praise. If you flub a line, you're a wanzo, if you burp loudly and startle everyone in the room, you're a wanzo. You are even a wanzo if you "repair" the classroom VCR and put it back together with only a few pieces left over. Every person in our drama sphere is a Wanzo, and our collection of Wanzoes is world class.