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| Students show talents at Lunchbox Theater |
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| Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 17 November 2007 | |
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Ed must hold her breath for three minutes until the sun sets when she receives a dare from friends Bartney and Scottie.  Valente Gonzalez (left) and Maggie Groves act out a four-minute play. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator It’s their part of Patterson High School’s latest play, a four-minute offering called “Hold for 3,” directed by drama teacher Tori Scoles and starring the Lunchbox Crew. The “crew” is a group of PHS students in the advanced performing arts classes, now in second year of presenting the lunchtime plays. The group’s performances typically last four to 15 minutes. Stage manager J.D. Jordan, who worked with fellow stage manager Lorena Osuna on Thursday and Friday, said the group began presenting the plays last year as a way to expand theater to the school. Last year, Jordan played Hamlet in a 15-minute adaptation of the Shakespeare play by the same name. The Lunchbox Crew performed a number of other plays throughout the year, enabling kids to attend while they munch on lunch. “It’s more productive this year, because there are more students in advanced performing-arts class,” Jordan said. “And there’s a lot more diversity in the plays we’re doing.” PHS junior Valente Gonzalez, 16, played Scottie in Thursday’s play, daring Ed to hold her breath and spurring her on to complete the three minutes of breathlessness.  Ruben Rodriguez (from left), Maggie Groves and Valente Gonzalez during a scene from Short plays present challenges Gonzalez, who also performed in the play “Night of the Living Dead,” for Patterson Repertory Theatre, said “Hold for 3” was a challenge. “It’s short, and there’s not that many people in it, so there’s more focus on you,” Gonzalez said. Maggie Groves-Bradley, the 16-year-old junior who played Ed, said she has liked being in the plays the past couple of years. “A short play is a challenge because you can’t really build a character,” she said. “It’s harder in a shorter play.” Sarah Firestone, 15, also plays Ed, alternating performances with Groves-Bradley. She enjoys acting in Patterson Repertory Theatre and in PHS plays. “It helps me improve my skills — I’m a thespian,” Firestone said. Will Satcher, a 16-year-old junior, said he enjoys seeing the performances — especially when his friends are in them. “I think it’s amazing, because they’re good actors and actresses,” he said. Scoles typically presents 10 plays to the advanced drama class for review, and students pick the six they want to perform throughout the year. It takes four to six weeks to prepare a 15-minute play such as “To Burn a Witch,” a one-act about two girls who are accused of witchcraft and condemned to the stake. By contrast, it takes about three weeks to present and prepare a play such as “Hold for 3.” Longer plays feature more characters, more lines and more scenes, so they take longer to prepare. Kyra Patterson, 16 and a junior, was a cast member in “To Burn a Witch” and worked behind the scenes for “Hold for 3.” Plenty to do Actors rotate speaking parts and behind-the-scenes work, making sure everyone gets a different taste of a short production. “The people who were cast for ‘To Burn a Witch’ are doing the stage managing, lighting and sound for this play,” Scoles said. “So they get to try out every aspect of the theater.” To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail her at maddy@patterson irrigator.com
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