On Jan. 30, auditions for the Carlmont spring play, “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, were held in the studio theater.
The actors walked in one at a time and performed their monologues in front of the director, who took notes and watched.
Julia Clark, a junior, said, “[I think I did] pretty well…There was one point where I forgot the next line and had a moment of panic, but I stayed in character and the line came to me.”
Later, Clark discovered she’d been cast as The Stage Manager, the play’s lead role.
She shares the role with senior Megan Wadleigh and looks forward to working with the rest of the cast.
“I was so thrilled that it went well that I could barely contain myself,” said Clark.
This year’s spring play is a bit different from Carlmont’s usual productions, which tend to be comedies.
“Our Town” is a drama that follows the lives of the people in a small town named Grover’s Corners.
The Carlmont drama teacher, Nancy Martin said, “We’re setting ‘Our Town’ in the 1950s, which the students seem pretty excited about. Normally it’s set about 1900, so I think placing it in the 1950s will appeal to a lot of people.”
In previous years, Martin has directed with her daughter, Emily York, but now, for the first time, York will be directing the spring production all on her own.
“She’s a really good director and loves working with the students. They are excited to be able to work with her, too,” said Martin.
Martin will still be involved with the production as an advisor. She anticipates seeing the production play out and expects it to go very well.
“There are many talented students in the drama department this year, and the turnout for ‘Our Town’ auditions was great,” said Martin.
“Our Town” is intended to leave the audience with a lot to imagine, using only a few props and the actors on stage to paint a picture of what is going on. This leaves little work for the Carlmont Technical Theatre Association (CTTA),
“Apparently, most of what they are going to do is pantomime, so CTTA’s probably just going to do lights and sound,” said sophomore Rachel Taube, a member of CTTA.
When she found out that the main role in “Our Town” was The Stage Manager, Taube said, “It’s cool cause it’s sort of related to what we do in CTTA, I mean basically it’s like, the stage manager is supposed to run everything backstage, and now we have a stage manager actually on stage.”
Taube said that she regrets not having signed up to help out with “Our Town,” but is excited to see the play and hear about it from the other members of CTTA.
As an actor, Clark looks forward to working with others to create a great production for her peers to see.
“Plays are always so much fun and such a great experience. Through rehearsal and cast bonding, you make great friends, learn a bunch about yourself, and grow as an actor. I’m so thrilled I get to be a part of ‘Our Town,’” said Clark.
