Drama club is back! This fall, the student-actors are putting on a production of “A Trip to the Moon” written by Tracy Wells and directed by high school English teacher Cameron Loss.
The play’s message is to pursue your dreams, whether that be literally reaching for the stars or reaching for dreams a little closer to home. The performances will be on: Wednesday, October 23rd, Thursday, October 24th, and Saturday, October 26th at 7 p.m.
Set in 1969, the year of the moon landing, and each scene of the play is named after and begins with a popular song from that year. The first and final scenes centers around a woman trying to get an engineering job at NASA despite the unbalanced representation of gender in the sciences at that time. Another focuses on a group of protesters who learn to put aside their differences and work together to fight for what’s right. The beginning of Act II starts off with a girl who decides to leave her old life behind and follow her dreams undeterred by what others think.
The characters’ faith, determination, and optimism remind us that to achieve our goals we have to take risks and believe in ourselves.
Lyla Carlsen, who plays the woman applying for the engineering job, describes her character as smart, innovative, and insightful. “Despite others trying to bring her down, she perseveres and keeps standing up for herself, allowing her to get the job she deserves.”
“It’s very fun, and it’s 100% like a family. We’re all working together towards an end goal. We all laugh if we make mistakes but are always there to encourage each other,” says Michael Auciello, another member of the drama club.
During his time at Sutton High, Mr. Loss has directed over 26 school productions, and he says that “there’s never a dull moment…every day is different, and that’s what I like about it. You never know what to expect from one rehearsal to the other which is what I think makes life and theater much better than a movie; it’s live and it’s not going to be the same every time.”
About the performances, Mr. Loss expresses his excitement: “I like to see the work that has been put into a play come to fruition and the joy that the students get out of it because it’s a reflection of their artistic creativity. Quite frequently, they discover something about themselves along the way, and it’s fun to see when that happens.”
You can support the drama club on their next venture, “A Trip to the Moon”, by attending their performances on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, October 23, 24, & 26 at 7 p.m.
