The world premiere. A high school theatre class. Names forever written on the playbill. Two nights of pure comical entertainment. The experience of a lifetime.

On Oct. 18-19, the theatre department got the unique opportunity of performing a play called “Stage Parents” especially written for them by Don Zolidis, a famous playwright. The storyline showcased a group of children in the middle of rehearsal for their play. However, throughout their rehearsal, their parents kept making appearances, consistently annoying the theatre teacher, played by junior Victor Martinez. Each parent or couple presents a distinct set of problems for the performers, which are dealt with in a very comedic way.

Before the performance, theatre teacher Alisa Mirabella said that she was extremely nervous, not only for the turnout for the play but how Zolidis would respond and feel about the portrayment of this writing. Although, there was no reason to worry, as he acknowledged the play was fantastic.

“This play was particularly fun for me, since I was making fun of myself a little bit,” Zolidis said. “I’m a stage parent too, and writing the role for the egotistical playwright Dad was cathartic. It was interesting watching from the audience – with students playing video-obsessed parents who record everything while being recorded by the video-obsessed parents in the audience. I wonder if the parents in the audience caught the irony of recording a play making fun of parents who record a play.”

The cast themselves played more of an ensemble, with some students acting as parents and some acting as students performing. A bit like a play in a play, according to Mirabella. The play the student actors attempt to work through during this performance is called “Medea,” which is ironic because Medea kills her children in the actual Greek play.

“As each parent comes in to embarrass their kids, it’s sort of like they want what’s best for them, but they’re killing them, so it reflects the Greek play,” Mirabella said.

One of the things that the cast members really appreciated was the audience’s reactions. According to Martinez, the audience helps him really understand what his character, Ms. Robin, is supposed to be doing and how she’s supposed to be doing it. He said he loves performing because he sees the stage as his safe space, a new world.

“Having an audience there that reacts to what you’re doing is an incredible feeling and it really helps shape your performance,” Martinez said. “I’ve always loved performing because as soon as I step out on stage my nerves go away and it’s just a place where I’m really free to make choices and express the character and story in new ways.”

Preparing for this event wasn’t much different than preparing for any other play, sophomore MJ Kelly said. Her character, Khaleesi’s mom, is an extremely involved character, and really emphasizes working together and resolving conflict.

“I like to think of her as a bit of a hippie [and] PTA mom,” Kelly said. “She gets involved in everything her kids do, [and] I relate to her perfectionism and willingness to get involved a lot. It’s a really fun role to play and I enjoy stepping into her mindset.”

Playing the intense coach on stage was junior John Courtright. He describes his character as loud, obnoxious, and very manly, one of the things Courtright had to overcome when acting. 

“This role is a complete contrast to who I am as a person [and] it’s been difficult for me to drop a lot of my mannerisms and adopt a super masculine walk, voice, and movement,” Courtright said. “But, theatre is all about challenging and pushing yourself with crazy roles.”

This play was more than just a special opportunity for the students, though. Sophomore Emma Janysek elaborates that because her character, Carter’s mom, was so passionate and loud and proud, she was really able to understand her and perform as well as she could. Being part of a play, especially this original one, really makes her think about her impact on the world and how she will be remembered.

“I kept thinking about how when I perform a play in class and I see the names of the original cast in the scripts, I wonder where they are now, and sometimes I’ll look them up,” Janysek said. “It’s crazy to think someone, somewhere, might do that for us.”