By Hannah Cha ’25, Lori Cui ’25
The annual Fall Play is underway! Directed by Mr. Kent, who oversees the theater department at St. Mark’s, this year’s play is “Men On Boat,” written by Jaclyn Backhaus. This play follows the expedition of a crew with a captain and many loyal volunteers through the Colorado river. There are more detailed summaries online, so feel free to check them out before the opening night. Recently, writers of the St. Marker interviewed some of the cast and the tech crew to get a better feel of the play, no spoilers ahead!
This year’s tech crew has revealed that there is an exciting use of stage props that they are all very proud of and are very excited to present. The cast has also mentioned that it is the “most interesting and unique element” to look forward to. Even cooler, the play has tire swings hanging down from the ceiling of the black box. Since the play is about a journey down the river, the tires will be a mimicry of the boats that the cast will “travel” in. One of the tech crew also adds that there will be a “unique, attractive design for each of the boats that the cast travels on, so the audience should also look out for the details during the play.”
A moment during the cast rehearsal.
In addition to the fascinating “boats,” the play has many unique elements that the school has never seen before. For instance, chairs will be arranged in a special way for the audience to view on the opening night. As one of the cast members mentioned, “the seats are all around and [arranged] in a different style than before.” This new formation of seats might function as a difficulty for the cast, but there are no differing opinions on whether this alternation would give a whole new perspective to the play.
When we asked the cast for a reason why people should go watch the play, one cast member mentioned that the audience should look forward to “fun, laughs and a lot of emotion.” Everyone on the theatre team is extremely excited to perform their work and encourage people to come! The opening night of “Men On Boats” is on the 16th of November, and production week lasts until the 18th. Don’t forget to sign up for tickets and sign out on Orah when coming-and don’t miss out on the fascinating opportunity to watch some wonderful work the cast and tech crew have done. See you there!
A photo of the theater workshop: most stage props are produced here.