Carlmont Drama’s original student-led spring production, “A Case of Inheritance,” gave students valuable learning experiences as they overcame obstacles and collaborated to bring the story to life onstage.
The play, written almost entirely by Carlmont senior Samantha Roberts with the help of seniors Larissa Mi and Antonina Mikriukova, was performed a total of five times from April 16 through April 19. It was co-directed by Roberts and Mikriukova, and the plot followed detective James Wright, played by sophomore Felix Browne, as he investigated a murder case.
The annual spring play is part of a long-standing Carlmont tradition in which students in the Advanced Drama class are chosen to take on leadership roles in directing and producing the spring play, gaining hands-on experience in theater production while working closely with peers.
Roberts began writing the script nearly two years before the show made it to the stage.
“It’s been absolutely amazing to see this show come together. I started writing the show at the end of my sophomore year, and completed it this fall,” Roberts said.
Roberts described the writing process as challenging yet rewarding, coming with many obstacles but being worth it in the end.
“Writing was extremely difficult at times, but I loved the characters and the story too much to stop writing them, and I was determined to finish the script so I could direct it,” Roberts said.
Directing a play requires careful planning, organization, and leadership to make sure the play runs smoothly.
“I’ve had to make rehearsal schedules, plan everything, lead blocking and other rehearsals to work on characterization with the actors, and then also talk and organize things on the technical side,” Mikriukova said.
Blocking is the planned movement and positioning of actors on stage, directed during rehearsals to help tell the story and guide where performers stand, move and interact.
Roberts described developing a play as a very collaborative process requiring lots of help from peers.
“You can write alone, but in order to make the story of ‘A Case of Inheritance’ as good as it ended up being, I needed to work with other people a lot in order to figure out how to do that,” Roberts said.
Additionally, although the play was student-run and directed, drama teacher Elizabeth Berg was there to aid the students along the way.
“My goal is always for the student directors to be in the driver’s seat, so they are the ones casting the show, crafting the vision, leading rehearsals, and sending out schedules and notes. I check in with them regularly to talk through plans and deadlines, answer questions, and offer advice and support,” Berg said.
For students who were a part of the production, there was a significant time commitment factor.
“I was called almost every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and as we got closer to shows, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The week before the show, the entire cast was called from 4 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on weekdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday,” Browne said.
With such a large amount of time taken up by rehearsal and preparation, it can be difficult to find a balance between theater and schoolwork. Fortunately, students find ways to manage their time efficiently.
“Some people try to finish all of their homework before the week, some people ask teachers for extensions, and some people use their time backstage for homework,” Browne said.
Despite the commitment and demands, students found participating in the spring play to be a very rewarding experience. Roberts said the most meaningful part was seeing audiences connect with the story and characters.
“For me, the most rewarding part of working on this show is seeing how much everyone has loved it. As a writer, it means so much to me to see other people fall in love with the story and the characters in the same way that I did when I first started writing it, and to know how many people in the audience loved it too. I really don’t have the words to describe that feeling,” Roberts said.
She expressed hope that the production would inspire other students to explore creative writing and theater.
“I hope that this show inspires other people in drama to get into playwriting, because it’s so much fun to do, and it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to direct and watch your script come to life,” Roberts said.
