A quiet revolution is taking place in the theater of Washington-Lee High School. The movement frees the students, exposes them to new levels of professional theater, and takes its inspiration from what some may think an unlikely source: the faculty director.
Pamela Ricker's influence has grown amongst her students for some time, and they have begun to blossom even before spring fully arrives. Ricker's famous humor, directorial brilliance, and glowing independence inspire ever-fresher efforts; with such support, Washington-Lee's natural talents begin to dare themselves. On March 1, a 19-member ensemble presented Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in its multi-act form. The production, entirely student-designed and directed, was the first of its kind upon Washington-Lee's main stage in several years.
Yet even the award-winning "Tempest" gave insufficient fodder to the would-be professionals. That same night Company 3/01 was founded by Andres Garcia to become Washington-Lee's own independent student company of actors. Garcia, joined by fellow student actors Neil Rickard, Mia Smith, Ashby Williams, Jayne Deichmiester, and Blair Calhoun, form the core ensemble and will be presenting Carl Sternheim's play "Underpants" in May. "Underpants," a satire, promises to interest as well as amuse. Brittany Diliberto will be serving their technical needs and is sure to stamp the company with her own distinctive surreal style. Company 3/01 also plans to branch out of the Washington-Lee venue and give its debut to the wider Metro area through a series of outdoor performances.
It would be too much to demand perfection from a debut company in its first season — but Company 3/01 and the theater community of Washington-Lee dare you to expect anything less than a professional performance.
For more information regarding Washington-Lee theater and Company 3/01, email Andres Garcia at arlvagarcia@prodigy.net.