Lillian Hellman’s tragic play received intense reactions, both positive and negative, when it was first brought to life in 1934. Boundary-breaking for its time, The Children’s Hour closely follows two headmistresses accused of homosexuality during a straight and narrow-minded era. Worse yet, the allegations come from a grandmother smitten with her granddaughter, Mary, and unwilling to consider that the student’s shocking claims could be anything but the truth.

From the moment Mary Tilford (Lily Brock) slinks onto the stage, it is evident that she is unlike other children. Her purposeful looks and easy alibis contribute to the identity of the character just as much as her demonic laughs and sinister threats do. Providing stark contrast to the diabolic girl are Peggy Rogers (Sydney Copp) and Evelyn Munn (Rachel Mayman), two other students who play more allies than friends to Mary, and who are vulnerable to manipulation but grow emotionally distraught at Mary’s pernicious behavior. Rosalie Wells (Bridget Fitzgerald) demonstrates the difficult situation that many of the schoolgirls face, in which she is compelled to do whatever Mary says because of the dark secrets she knows about her. Fitzgerald fills the role strikingly well, as she appears to be an innocent and well-composed girl in the presence of adults, but becomes hysterical when tormented by Mary.

The relationship between headmistresses Karen Wright (Madeleine Chalk) and Martha Dobie (Kathleen Welch) is complex and benefits from strong chemistry between the women. Dobie’s intense reactions to the persecution hint that she is hiding something, whereas Wright’s small mannerisms and vocal inflections reveal the deep agony caused by the accusation, and lead to intricate character development. Dr. Joseph Cardin (John Bucy) seems at first to be enthralled with his fiancé, Wright, but as the story goes on, minute differences in physicality signify a much larger change in overall disposition.

Never once does the play feel immaterial or artificial, thanks largely in part to the detailed sets. One setting lends itself to both a boarding school and a mansion with the help of perfectly suited decorations carefully altered by a skillful crew of stagehands. The underlying theme of nature applied in the furniture prints and costumes is pointedly juxtaposed with the “unnatural” lifestyle of which Wright and Dobie are suspected. Almost every school girl wears perfect French braids, and matching uniforms give the children homogeneity in keen contrast to their individual characters. Mary stands out from the group with her eye-catching red shoes, enigmatic of her rebellious personality.

“A whispered lie destroyed their lives,” reads the program to Langley High School’s The Children’s Hour. The tragic play teaches the valuable lesson of the effect false allegations can have on other people. “I’ve lied myself for a variety of reasons,” states Cardin during the show. “But there wasn’t a time where, if given the chance, I wouldn’t have taken back the lie and told the truth.” Given the opportunity, would the lies told in this story be taken back?

by Gillian Wright of McLean High School

Photo Gallery

Lily Brock	Lily Brock, Bridget Fitzgerald, Madeleine Chalk, Vivan Vaeth
Madeleine Chalk, Kathleen Welch	Bridget Fitzgerald, Lily Brock
Rachel Mayman, Lily Brock, Sydney Copp	John Bucy, Lily Brock

Photos by Rich Stanage

The production first opened on Broadway in 1981, as an 8 1/2-hour play based on David Edgar’s adaptation of the popular Charles Dickens novel. The show begins with the Nicholas leading his family to the home of his ruthless uncle, Ralph Nickleby, after his father passed away. Ralph sends Nicholas to work for an all-boys school to provide for his family, where Nicholas meets the despicable Mr. Squeers and his equally abhorrent wife. After watching the boys be beaten and be forced into a form of slavery, Nicholas soon realizes the danger they’re in and chases off the repulsive Squeers family. He goes on the run with an orphan from the school, Smike, and their adventurous life together begins.

The cornerstone of Langley High School’s production was the versatile cast, many of whom had to play multiple characters. Whether an actor was playing one large role or two small ones, most of the company had clearly taken great strides in character development. Though some sub-stories of the plot came off slightly underdeveloped, many of the actors helped to create one bold, clear storyline.

A few cast members were clear standouts due to their ability to draw the audience in with their believable onstage physicality and use of the set and space, particularly Nicholas Nickleby himself (Chris Paul). He captured the character with his well-projected line delivery; every word was full of meaning and inflection. His portrayal of Nicholas displayed his ability to believably convey a range of emotion, from despair to comedy.

The supporting cast effectively filled in the story’s gaps, and actors were able to shine even in smaller parts. The character of Mr. Squeers (Charlie Wier) had the audience chortling with his farcical facial expressions and compelling adoption of a class structure accent. Fanny Squeers (Rokhsane Mahmaudi) effortlessly captured a teenager of the time period with her overly dramatic mannerisms, both vocally and physically. Though there were many ensemble units in the show, the Crummels’ acting troupe sucked the audience into the plot with their theatrical, over the top tendencies and ability to play off of each other.

One technical aspect that helped to enhance the show was the creation and use of props, specifically the wheelchair, which appropriately captured the Victorian era. Though the lighting for transitions was a bit bright, costumed stage hands adapted well and stayed in character, producing smooth transitions.

Overall, the cast of Langley High lit up the stage with appropriate physicality, use of stage space, and chemistry with other actors, producing a believable conveyance of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.

by Katelyn Sparks of South County High School

Photo Gallery

Shahier Paracha and Chris Paul	Charlie Weir and Vivian Vaeth
Chris Paul, Madeleine Chalk and Nick Regan	Kathleen Welch, Andrew Rhee, Vanessa Strahan, Chris Paul and John Bucy
Krista Hackmeier, Shahier Paracha and Chris Paul

Photos by Belva Hayden

Casts of nominated shows and the performers of nominated songs presented musical numbers as well as scenes from the nominated plays. The entire show will be aired on Cox Cable “Red Apple” Channel 21 beginning the week of July 2 and will continue throughout the summer.

Throughout the year, the Cappies program is driven by hundreds of area high school theater student critics who attend each others’ shows, write reviews, and serve as Cappies awards judges.

The Gala ceremony was marked with excitement and encouragement. There was never a sense of competitiveness or negative reactions as any of the Awards were announced.

Westfield High School received ten awards, including Musical for their production of Crazy For You. McLean High School received five awards, including Play, for A View From the Bridge.

Rising Critic

• Julian Sanchez, Westfield High School

Returning Critic

• Madelyn Paquette, McLean High School

Madelyn Paquette also was awarded the first Washington Post Critic Award.

Graduating Critic

• Joseph Biagini, Westfield High School

Critic Team

• McLean High School

Marketing and Publicity

• Kyle Norfleet, Michelle Slivinski, Jenny Rubin, Caitlyn Herron, South Lakes High School, West Side Story

Sound

• Alex Allen, Lydia Carroll, Lindsay Worthington, Walt Whitman High School, Frankenstein

Lighting

• Nikolas Allen, Andrew Elman, Walt Whitman High School, Frankenstein

Stage Crew

• Walt Whitman Stage Crew, Walt Whitman High School, Frankenstein

Sets

• Walt Whitman Set Crew, Walt Whitman High School, Frankenstein

Costumes

• Ana Mendelson, Abby Deatherage, W. T. Woodson HS, Alice in Wonderland

Make-up

• Brianna Weiner, W. T. Woodson HS, Alice in Wonderland

Props

• Rita Fair, Jordyn Stewart, Mount Vernon, Blithe Spirit

Special Effects and or Technology

• Brian Clarkson, Walt Whitman High School, Frankenstein

Orchestra

• “Crazy for You” Pit Orchestra, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Choreography

• Colby Dezelick, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Creativity

• Arjun Baxter, Composer, W. T. Woodson HS, Alice in Wonderland

Ensemble in a Play

• The Mechanicals, Robinson Secondary School, Ken Ludwig’s Midsummer/Jersey

Ensemble in a Musical

• Follie Dancers and Cowboys, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Featured Actress

• Kaity Hinojosa, Langley High School, The Crucible

Featured Actor

• Mitchell Buckley, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Female Dancer

• Corinne Holland, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Male Dancer

• Nikko Custodio, South County Secondary School, West Side Story

Female Vocalist

• Ariana Kruszewski, South Lakes High School, West Side Story

Male Vocalist

• Sam Allen, Dominion High School, Pippin

Comic Actress in a Play

• Virginia Coffield, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School, Fools

Comic Actor in a Play

• Kamau Mitchell, HB Woodlawn Secondary Program, The Foreigner

Comic Actress in a Musical

• Alexandra Nicopoulos, Fairfax High School, Sweeney Todd

Comic Actor in a Musical

• Ian Peterson, Stone Bridge High School, Anything Goes

Supporting Actress in a Play

• Mia Amado, Woodbridge Senior High School, The Miracle Worker

Supporting Actor in a Play

• John Downey, Chantilly High School, I Remember Mama

Supporting Actress in a Musical

• Michelle Radcliffe, Heritage High School, Legally Blonde the Musical

Supporting Actor in a Musical

• Joseph Biagini, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Lead Actress in a Play

• Lexie Shoaibi, McLean High School, A View From the Bridge

Lead Actor in a Play

• Damian Leverett, McLean High School, A View From the Bridge

Lead Actress in a Musical

• Sean Pugerude, Paul VI Catholic High School, Hello, Dolly!

Lead Actor in a Musical

• Colby Dezelick, Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Song

• Brotherhood of Man, James Madison High School, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Play

• McLean High School, A View From the Bridge

Musical

• Westfield High School, Crazy For You

Written by Arthur Miller in 1952, The Crucible takes place in Puritan Salem, Massachusetts. Miller wrote the play as an allegory for the Red Scare and McCarthyism that turned Americans against each other in the 50’s. Fueled by selfishness and corruption of morals, the characters of The Crucible web lies of witchcraft and religious corruption in order to secure their own fates and ‘prove’ their loyalty to God, which results in many unprecedented arrests of innocent women for ‘practicing witchcraft and conspiring with Lucifer.’

John and Elizabeth Proctor, played by Brian Patterson and Taylor Goodson, effectively convinced the audience of their strained yet resilient relationship simply by their mannerisms, tone of voice, and chemistry onstage. Goodson became her character — she found a level of maturity in her character that most teenage girls would not understand or recognize. Patterson, like Goodson, was able to connect to his character so well that the audience truly forgot that they were watching two high school students and not a married couple.

Lauren Fernandez chiseled the selfish character of Abigail Williams into someone deeply insecure and desperate, demonstrating her ability to recognize the complexity of Abigail and communicate that to the audience with poise and consistence. Another memorable performance was that of Chris Baughman, who played Reverend John Hale. Baughman was able to illustrate the growth and change that his character undergoes throughout the play with conviction and purpose. Tituba, played by the outstanding Kaity Hinojosa, stunned the audience with her ability to portray such a distinctive and exotic character with such ease and excellence. Her physicality, as well as consistent accent, added to the realism of her character and overall success of the show. Although The Crucible is a cathartic and dismal play, some of the characters seemed to lack a buildup of emotion that resulted in exaggerated and confusing reactions.

One aspect of the tech that stood out was the lighting and sound in the final scene. Instead of showing the hangings, the sound and lighting portrayed the deaths in an artistic and abstract way, using flashes of yellow light and a beating drum. The finality of the drum as well as the sharp and final blackout after the flash of yellow light left the audience bewildered and afraid — as it was meant to do. Although some of the sound cues were not perfect, the music that played during set changes as well as during some of the scenes really added to the eerie atmosphere of the production.

Langley High School created a unique experience for the audience, because not only did we have the pleasure to watch the well-done show, we were a part of the show. The audience represented the judgmental townspeople of Salem at the time of the witch trials, which gave each of us a close and intimate experience of The Crucible. This play, because it is so complex and mature, definitely challenged both the cast and crew — but Langley was able to tell the gloomy story of The Crucible with their own distinctive voice.

by Rachel Bondy of W. T. Woodson HS

Photo Gallery

Lauren Fernandez, Rachel Mayman and Kathleen Welch	Kaity Hinojosa, Chris Baughman
Lauren Fernandez, Rachel Mayman, Kaity Hinojosa	Caroline Callahan and Brian Patterson
Lauren Fernandez, Brian Patterson

Photos provided by Langley High School

Nicole Kang’s whiny Hermia kept the audience giggling with her exaggerated melodrama and energetic and childish reactions. Tess Higgins, playing Helena, in contrast portrayed a more sophisticated and giddy character that only desired a man’s, more specifically Demetrius’, affection. A show stealer, Demetrius, played by Zach Gray, was constantly reacting to the scenes around him and brought a pompous yet highly comedic character to the stage. Gray had new interpretations to the play that effectively created fun and entertaining moments. Brian Patterson’s Lysander also brought humor to the production, specifically in his impeccable comedic timing and adorable, expressive and quirky characterization. The most memorable and entertaining scene involved all four lovers in the “forest confrontational” scene. While this scene caused much pandemonium and at times had major split focus, each actor brought their own eccentric character to the scene and were able to create definite and unique relationships. There was an abundant amount of strength within Lysander and Demetrius’ relationship that had the audience laughing until they were close to tears and brought continuous entertainment to the production.

Only an ass would be foolish enough to get onstage and make an ass of himself, yet that is precisely what Dominic Calandra did as a dramatic and charismatic Bottom. Calandra conveyed a plethora of emotion and hilarity to the stage. Bottom and his fellow acting troupe of Athenian laborers truly displayed Puck’s words-“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” A hilarious and masculine Flute, played by Jordan Moeller, had the audience in stitches with his overly feminine role through the “Pyramus and Thisbe” production. This scene became an audience favorite, especially during the stretched out, and wonderfully hilarious, death of Pyramus.

The cast and crew of Langley put together an enjoyable show and were able to engage the audience by effectively utilizing the entire auditorium. Despite microphone snafus and some inaudible and mumbled lines, McLean’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a job well done.

by Emily Vanni of W. T. Woodson High School

Photo Gallery

Louis Gaertner, Justin Cecil	First row, left to right: Jack Sullivan, Danielle D’Arcee, Ashley Irvin, Rachel Myers, Samuel Child
Nicole Kang, Zack Gray, Chris Paul, Michael Richardson, and Caroline Callahan	Tess Higgins
Natalie Bozorgard, Elly Sheers, Becca Allen, Rachel Mayman, Justin Cecil, Charlie Weir

Photos by Timothy J. Higgins.

Time’s Square 2090 and the majority of the music and lyrics found within were written and directed by Langley student Wesley Brandt in 2009. The play arguably bears some resemblance to George Orwell’s 1984, written in 1948. Both are about the danger of a centralized future government that tries to control the population and abuses new technology to accomplish their own greedy goals. The story also plays off of the lion falling in love with the lamb. The corrupt president Julius Lyons (Paul Goldberg) falls in love with the girl who first began to question the government, Marissa Lamb (Kelly Hubbell).

Brandt’s Time’s Square 2090 was mainly anchored by the actor to crowd interaction during many of the musical numbers and the modern pop culture jokes made throughout the show. Both served to keep the crowd intensely interested in the play and allowed many to easily identify with the characters, judging by the way all members of the audience danced, clapped, and sang along with the cast. Time’s Square 2090 was truly a team effort and the enthusiasm of the entire cast was rewarded with a standing ovation at the end.

The leads did exceptionally well in staying in character and nearly all had very good voice control and performed beautifully during their songs.

The supporting actors and actresses truly helped to play up the leads to the best they could be without losing their character. They each had a well-developed personality and fun character quirks, which kept the play exciting.

One especially enjoyable factor of the production was the use of symbolism and the cleverly named characters e.g.; The ruler being named Julius after the famous Roman dictator, the protesters being led by the Lamb family, the ruling family being the Lyons, the use of costume colors and the way they were shown in the flag (The lambs dressed in white, showing innocence, the government in red and black, the colors of the flag. The flag featured one white star, representing the lambs, trapped inside a black box, representing the government’s hold on the lower classes). The play contains many other clever uses of symbolism from Harry Potter to ancient world history.

The way the stage was set made it so the government officials were always higher than the commoners and this furthered the idea of how they looked down upon them as a lesser peoples, and helped add an element of depth to the stage.

Langley’s performance provoked much deep thought, though it was served in such a way that it did not feel weighty, but instead the comedic element and the powerful characters helped deliver it to feel still light and hopeful. Time’s Square 2090 is a very impressive work for such a young playwright and was seemingly well received by all ages and groups watching in the audience who acted enthralled and enthusiastic from start to finish.

by Caroline Lucernoni of Briar Woods High School

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off is a popular farce expanded from the one act Exits. According to the playwright, the idea came to him while watching a Lynn Redgrave farce from the wings. “It was funnier from behind than in front and I thought that one day I must write a farce from behind.” Noises Off went on to critical acclaim and was nominated for five Tony awards.

Concerning the story of a second-rate inept acting troupe, Noises Off, follows the actors as they attempt to put on a terrible sexual farce entitled Nothing On. As the play progresses, the tension and behavior of the cast become more intense, leading to crumbling personal relationships, wielded axes, and a lot of drinking.

As the ever-forgetful Dotty/Mrs. Crackett, Kelly Hubbell delivered a hilarious character. Flawlessly switching between a British accent and her normal voice, her comedic timing was impeccable and had the audience bursting out in laughter with her fishy antics. As Lloyd Dallas, the temperamental director, Wes Brandt produced a sarcastic and bitter character that caused many laughs.

Sam Faktorow portraying ladies man, Garry/Roger was “well, you know…..” pretty believable and had clearly defined characters. The bumbling Freddie/Phillip was portrayed by Alvin Kuai. His physicality greatly enhanced his character and he was at his best while hopping around with his pants around his ankles or expressing his fearfulness of blood and violence “through the nose.”

As dimwitted Brooke/Vickie, Hayley Mueller always maintained differences between her two characters and Kate DaRocha believably portrayed Belinda/Flavia and never strayed from character.

As the meek, frizzy-haired stage manager Poppy, Becca Allen gave an endearing, comical performance. Portraying the other bumbling stage manager Tim was Ramsey Sitta. Sitta, with an awkward and shy character, successfully portrayed Tim.

Yet another comical performance was given by Meg Honigberg as the smelly drinker Selsdon/burglar. She humorously acted the forgetful drunk by “missing her cues” and “forgetting” her lines.

Although some scenes dragged and a few characters did not ennunciate well, the cast included many talented performers who used hilarious physicality to effectively portray their characters. The show was further enhanced by the props used to advantage by the actors.

With nearly flawless sound and simple yet effective lighting and costumes, Langley’s production of Noises Off was an enjoyable evening for all in attendance. After all, what’s more deep than doors and sardines?

by Steven Einhorn of Robert E. Lee High School