Michael Finn as Jerry Garcia: Life Seldom Turns Out the Way It Does In A Song

Statement: Recovery only comes from oneself

On December 4 1965, the Grateful Dead took the stage in the San Francisco Bay Area and five men performed eclectic music that made their fans coin themselves as “deadheads.” The lead guitarist and vocalist of the band was Jerry Garcia. Senior Michael Finn has always been intrigued by the musician and chose to honor his life in his one person show.

“I really like the music and I think he’s got a pretty interesting life that a lot of people don’t really understand…He was a lifelong drug user and that played a big role into his music and his persona.”

Garcia was always known for being interesting. He played the guitar exceptionally well, despite only having half of his middle finger on his right hand. The legend was always recognized by his long flowing black hair, his well grown out beard, and the round-shaped glasses he always wore.

In the show, Finn is focusing on the relationships Garcia had during the final years of his life before his death in 1995. He is not so much focused on the music playing but he chose to show how important his wife and bandmates were. His thirty minute show is based off of the statement that recovery only comes from oneself.

Even though the statement was a helpful tool in creating a plot, Finn still struggled with the writing process. It was his first time ever producing a script, let alone one that would have a half an hour duration. Although the show is going to put much emphasis on the effects of drug use, Finn believes that he produced it in a more comforting light.

“It’s a pretty serious show if you step back and look at it with some objectivity. But in the moment, there are definitely some scenes that I tried to make pretty funny.”

As for Finn’s favorite Dead song?

“‘Scarlet Begonias’ from March 22nd 1990, no doubt.”

Check out Finn’s performance on March 11 at 8:20.

Abby Hendricks as Emily Dickinson: My Life Stood Still, A Loaded Gun

Statement: The choices you make always affect the people around you

For as long as she could remember, senior Abby Hendricks has always loved theater. She has taken every successive class in Yorktown and does theater outside of school through programs such as Signature through the Schools at Signature Theater. For her one person show, she chose to act out the life of poet Emily Dickinson.

“She only had eleven poems published in her lifetime but she wrote almost 2000. The story I’m telling is the story of her refusing to publish because she knows that if she publishes her work, that people will judge and criticize her and that her voice will change to fit what they want to see.”

Emily Dickinson lived her whole life in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was born in 1830 and lived until the age of 55. Throughout that period, she was very secluded in her room and she spent almost all her time writing. Hendricks wants to create a show that will portrayed her struggles and her muse for her work.

“It’s her journey of shutting out the world in order to see the world more clearly…She took a step back from society which is something I could never do. She is so different than me yet I find so much of myself in her.”

To connect herself more to the poet, Hendricks decided to add much movement to her show. Although Dickinson spent most of her time locked in her room, Hendricks wanted to create her one person show in a way that she could relate.

“Obviously she probably wasn’t running around her room but I make it so she’s playing with these pieces of fabric and exploring the world. I theactrolized her experience in a way that I could bring my life into it.”

Hendrick’s hopes to continue theater next fall in her first year of college. Her favorite poem by Dickinson is “They shut me up in prose-as when a little girl-they put me in a closet-because they liked my still.”

Catch her performance on March 11 at 6:40.

Patrick Salsburg as Tycho Brahe: Chronicler of the Cosmos

Statement: Mentorship is a two way street

Although he has contributed a tremendous amount to science, Tycho Brahe is not a common household name. He was a Danish astronomer born in 1546 in the Scandinavian peninsula. Senior Patrick Salsburg chose to tell Brahe’s story through his one person show.

“I find it impressive that throughout his life, he collected an extensive data log of the movements of stars and planets that are almost as accurate as modern-day telescopes — and he just used his eyes because telescopes weren’t invented yet. Although Tycho was wrong for believing that the Earth was at the center of the universe, Johannes Kepler was able to use Tycho’s data to prove that the planets all orbit the Sun.”

Salsburg first got interested in the astronomer during his sophomore year when he took AP European History. He heard many interesting stories such as how Brahe lost his nose in a sword fight with his cousin or how he owned a pet elk. Salsburg has created his show by showing the last year of Brahe’s life as well as his mentorship of Johannes Kepler.

“The audience is shown how Tycho’s life works through conversations that he has with those close to him and his inner thoughts when he is alone.”

As for his statement, Salsburg based his plot off of mentorship is a two way street.

“I want the audience to take away from my performance that nobody is just a mentor or just being mentored because we all teach each other new things about the workings of life on a daily basis.  Every action has an impact on the way society functions.”

Make sure to attend Salsburg’s show on March 11 at 6.

Amelia Johnston as Amelia Earhart: Adventure!

Statement: Don’t let others decide what you’re capable of

Every child remembers hearing the amazing story of Amelia Earhart; the first female aviator to fly across the Atlantic ocean alone. Ironically, senior Amelia Johnston shares the first name of one of the woman she admires. Her one person show is based on Earhart’s inner strength.

“In the show, her point of view is concerned with being a woman in a patriarchal world and in a male-dominated profession where she has to work immensely hard to be taken seriously as a person, a pilot and a woman. It is also along the lines of ‘I want to do the things I love to do. Nothing can get in the way of me doing what I want to do, especially the opinions of others.’”

Johnston found the writing process very difficult. She had trouble narrowing down the focus of her play since Earhart had such an interesting life. Johnston also found herself procrastinating with the deadlines. Yet, her show really started to come together through wisdom from her neighbor.

“ [He] was a navy pilot in the Vietnam War and is now a journalist. He is incredibly knowledgable and gave me some excellent insight on flying, aviation vocabulary and history in general. He’s where I got my costume from, actually, and what I learned from him helped me portray flying a lot more realistically in my show.”

Additionally for the show, Johnston had to conduct a lot of research on Earhart’s life. She discovered all the criticism the aviator faced. This strongly influenced her statement which is don’t let others decide what you’re capable of.

“I want to convey that you can do whatever you want if you believe in yourself! That passion and dreams have no barriers. You are the only person who decides what you are capable of, and what other people think is so so so so so unimportant. Also, have fun, adventure is out there.”

Johnston will be the pilot to her own show on March 11 at 9.

Erin Sweeney as Cordelia: The Choice of Loyalty

Statement: We choose our loyalties regardless of the consequences

Senior Erin Sweeney has always had a particular interest in the characters created by famous playwright, William Shakespeare. When she was first introduced with her one person show, Sweeney wanted to tell the story of Lady Macbeth. Yet, after learning more about Cordelia from Shakespeare’s King Lear!, she knew the choice was quite obvious.

“I chose Cordelia because I was fascinated with her story. The choices she makes are not easy ones and I wanted to explore how she made them. She essentially betrays her country and sacrifices herself for her father — a man who is going insane. Why would she do that? That’s what I wanted to find out.”

To really capture the strong woman Cordelia is, Sweeney created a show heavily based on the idea of loyalty. In the play, she made sure to really emphasize the importance of Cordelia’s relationship with her father and sister. The plot is very focused around Sweeney’s statement which is we choose our loyalties regardless of the consequences.

“Being truly loyal means making choices. You can’t be loyal to everyone and everything. You need to decide who or what you will stand by even when it’s hard. And sometimes you sign your fate in the process.”

Check out Sweeney’s performance on March 11 at 7:40.

Sean Bailey as Charlie Kelmeckis

Statement: Change is inevitable, but there will always be people to help you along the way.

Theatre IV senior Sean Bailey is involved in almost every aspect of the theatre program. In addition to performing his One Person Show on Charlie Kelmeckis from Perks of Being a Wallflower, he also has to balance his time in between the fall show, The Lottery, and the spring show, Pippin. Even though the process is time consuming, he is dedicated to making his show one to remember.

“It takes a fair amount of revisions to create the story that you want to tell,” Bailey said.

But once Bailey put the final touches on his script, he felt proud of the progress he had made and was excited to tell his character’s story.

“I had chosen Charlie last year when I decided I was going to do Theatre IV because that book was something that had helped me a lot when I had gone into high school, and it is still one of of the few books that I continue to re-read. It shaped a lot of who I turned out to be in high school and Charlie is one of the only characters I have read about that I understood and wanted to be more like,” Bailey said.

Bailey’s show focuses on the relationship that Charlie developed with his two friends, Sam and Patrick. He feels as if the ending of his show is similar to coming to terms with the end of his time in high school and the theatre program; it has helped him to realize that the relationships he has created do not have to end, but they can continue to grow.

Bailey gives a lot of credit to both his younger brother who is currently a freshman, and his friends RK and Lily. His friends and family know his voice more than anyone and have been instrumental in helping him to create a show that is true to himself.

Make sure to see Bailey’s show on Friday, March 10 at 5:00 p.m.

Barbara Ellis as Rick Sanchez

Statement: Relationships are a journey.

For her one person show, senior Barbara Ellis plays none other than the adventurous scientist, Rick Sanchez from the cartoon Rick and Morty. She has created a quirky storyline in which Rick and his ex-wife are traveling through space on their way to a date on the planet Venus. After revising her story multiple times, Ellis is eager to see all of her hard work pay off.

“The most rewarding part of the process is just knowing that you did it. It is nerve-wracking but it is also exciting to know that everyone is going to be watching this show that you created on your own,” Ellis said.

Ellis is grateful for her outside eyes (a group of three to four students that work together to improve each other’s shows) who have helped to make her show possible, and she is proud of all of her other classmates for successfully completing such a difficult process.

“It is also really satisfying to see everyone else perform. I am so proud to see how far everyone has come since the beginning, and it is nice knowing that everyone is going through the same thing as me,” Ellis said.

Ellis encourages everyone to see all of the One Person Shows because she and all of her classmates have been preparing for this moment for the past three years. The theatre program has allowed them to discover the story that they want to tell and provided them with the understanding that allows them to tell these stories.

Do not miss Ellis’ show on Saturday, March 11 at 12:20 p.m.

Nicole Ardaiz as Connie Maheswaran

Statement: You should never give up who you are for someone else.

Senior Nicole Ardaiz is not used to the performance aspect of theatre, for she is a part of the theater tech class, and does not normally act. Now she has the chance to create and perform the story that she has been wanting to tell. To do so, she chose the character Connie Maheswaran from the cartoon Steven’s Universe. Connie is a 12-year-old girl who finds out that her friend Steven is part human, part alien, so she makes the daring decision to protect him from evil aliens that may be trying to hurt him.

“Steven’s mentor figure, Pearl, teaches Connie to give up more and more of herself in order to protect Steven until she is not the same person anymore and she begins to abandon the aspirations that she once had,” Ardaiz said.

Ardaiz based her show on the idea that being too selfless in relationships is a bad thing. She ended her show with Connie giving up her life for Steven, which crushed him, in order to illustrate how selflessness ended up hurting them both.

“The show is about not being too hard on yourself because you are very important and you are a valuable person. Everyone has something valuable to offer other people, and it is important not to forget that,” Ardaiz said.

After she found a way to put her thoughts into words, Ardaiz was able to incorporate movement into her show. Her experience from teaching martial arts to kids with cerebral palsy, autism and anxiety, as well as kids who are blind, has benefited her show.

Even though Ardaiz usually prefers to be behind the scenes, she has gained a lot of insight throughout the valuable process.

“It is time consuming, but I think it is worthwhile. Even if you are not a performer, I think the process teaches you a lot about yourself. [Carol] Cadby gives you the right framework to create the show that you want,” Ardaiz said.

Catch Ardaiz’s show on Friday, March 10 at 5:40 p.m.

Maddy Wade as Rosalind Franklin

Statement: The things that are meant to hold you back can motivate you.

The hardest part of senior Maddy Wade’s One Person Show process was finding a starting point. Despite this, she has come far to create a 30 minute piece detailing the life accomplishments of Rosalind Franklin, a renowned female chemist from the 1940s and 1950s who did not receive credit for her discovery of the structure of DNA.

After learning about Franklin in her Advanced Placement (AP) Biology class, Wade knew that she wanted to tell the story of Franklin and her struggles being a woman in science.

“My show is a condensed version of her life. I split it into three parts: her childhood, working in the lab and discovering the structure and then her eventual death from exposure to radiation and cancer. I have an abstraction which is ripping vines off of different parts of the set which is supposed to represent how she overcame the obstacles she faced” Wade said.

Wade has appreciated being able to bond with her class throughout the long, stressful process and then eventually being able to watch them succeed in putting together some amazing shows.

Wade is doing a One Person Show in Theatre IV and taking AP Physics C at the same time, which are both extremely time consuming commitments. Despite this challenge, she has been able to do it all, and well.

Theatre arts teacher Carol Cadby and Wade’s outside eyes have given Wade the ability to navigate the process and develop a show with a lot of meaning.

“What I imagine would be the most rewarding part is that moment right after you finish and when you realize what you have created and how far you have come,” Wade said.

Come out and see Wade’s show on Friday, March 10 at 6:20 p.m.

Lucas Sellem as Billy Beane

Statement: You have to choose what is most important in life.

The book and movie Moneyball is one big compilation of all of senior Lucas Sellem’s favorite things: baseball, economics and family. In his One Person Show, Sellem focuses closely on the family life of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland athletics baseball team.

It is easy to see that Sellem values the relationships that he has with his family and friends. The ultimate reward for him is the friendships that he has been able to build with the people in his class because of the nature of this difficult process, which requires suggestions and support from others.

“My favorite part of the process is being with everyone because we all want to help each other. The whole class is so supportive and it is great to be in a class with all of my friends,” Sellem said.

Even though Sellem is surrounded by helpful classmates all the time, the amount of preparation is still overwhelming. The hardest parts of the process for Sellem were making sure that everything in the story makes sense and figuring out how to stage properly.

“I think that it can be hard to receive feedback sometimes. You could have spent a really long time working on a script that you thought was perfect, and then when you perform it you get feedback about how you could make things more clear and then you have to change it. To feel like you are not doing anything that makes any sense to anyone can be tough sometimes,” Sellem said.

When Sellem is working with his outside eye group, all of the pressure and tension he feels seems to fade. They give him constructive feedback and so many of the ideas that he has chosen to incorporate into his story.

“I could not have done it without them,” Sellem said.

Remember to come see Sellem’s performance on Thursday, March 9 at 7:50 p.m.

Defne Tunceli as Sezen Aksu

Statement: You may not live forever, but your legacy can live on.

Growing up in Turkey, senior Defne Tunceli listened to the music of the Turkish singer, songwriter and producer, Sezen Aksu. Tunceli wanted to highlight someone who related to her cultural background and Aksu was and still is a prominent female in Turkish culture.

“I am focusing the show on her current struggles trying to overcome prejudice against females and also keep her work true to her culture and not being influenced by whatever is popular,” Tunceli said.

Similar to her character, Tunceli is very much involved in music and singing. In fact, she is doing an independent study on her One Person Show with band teacher Brian Bersh. As if her dedication to music in this show was not enough, she even sings all of the songs in her show in Turkish.

Tunceli has come a long way since the beginning of the process. She has revised her show more than 20 times because she has difficulty sticking to an idea and not changing her entire storyline.

“The reason why we change our shows so often is because we are growing as the show is growing. They are One Person Shows, but I love how they are very much the classes’ shows as well,” Tunceli said.

Tunceli attributes her success in her show to Cadby and her fellow theatre students, who are just as invested in Tunceli’s show as she is.

“The whole process is the reward in itself. Everyone sees each other at our worst, then we all see each other at our best when we perform our pieces,” Tunceli said.

Check out Tunceli’s show on Saturday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m.

Maya Ewart as Valentín

Statement: Companionship eases the weight of the world.

Inspired by the Argentine film Valentín, senior Maya Ewart chose none other than Valentín himself. She combined her acting experience with her Spanish speaking skills to make the show as authentic as can be.

“I watched the movie [Valentín] last year in my AP Spanish class and was intrigued by the character [Valentín] and how he coped with his difficult life, specifically with his family and his relationship with his neighbor,” Ewart said.

Ewart’s fascination for telling the story of her character made it easy for her to write the script. She was able to develop a strong storyline that clearly emphasizes her show’s statement about companionship.

“The show starts on Valentín’s eighth birthday. He is very lonely and his grandmother locks him out of the house because she is pretty old and is either depressed or has dementia. He turns to one of his neighbors for a place to stay and ultimately develops a relationship which his neighbor through playing the piano,” Ewart said.

“The most difficult part is figuring out what is most important to keep in your story and what you want to cut. You do get attached to certain part of your show, but the shows are only 30 minutes and you can only do so much,” Ewart said.

Performing for Cadby, her Theatre IV classmates and other theatre classes has made the process more doable for Ewart because they give her perspective on the parts of her show that make sense and the parts that do not. Ewart has effectively used these people as resources to further her understanding of theatre in order to make her One Person Show a success.

Make sure to see Ewart perform on Thursday, March 9 at 8:30 p.m.

A Dedication to the Galaxy: Lily Gehrenbeck as Carrie Fisher

Anyone that has been around or paid any attention to the film industry for the last 40 years understands the life force that actress Carrie Fisher was. Her spirit and dedication to the arts is exactly what senior Lily Gehrenbeck is trying to convey in her upcoming one person show.

“Carrie Fisher is one of my favorite people. I think she was hilarious and rad. I actually considered two people before I did her, but it wasn’t until about a month and a half ago, after Meryl Streep’s speech where she said, ‘take your broken heart and make it into art’ that I discovered the statement I really wanted for my show” Gehrenbeck said.

Choosing a statement and then actually sitting down and writing around that idea is a long and extremely time consuming task to undertake.

“It is a building block process. It started sophomore year and just taking these skills from the past couple of years and then starting in October we started writing a five minute scene based around our statements,” Gehrenbeck said.

Although it would be merely impossible to include every single aspect of Fisher’s life in Gehrenbeck’s show, she is hopeful that the energy and love towards Fisher’s career and family is shown through her acting.

“I hope that the spirit of Carrie Fisher is captured in the show because I think it was so unique and I want people to get her humor and her outlook on the way you should live your life and the way you should turn things that could be kind of crappy into something not so crappy,” Gehrenbeck said.

Gehrenbeck performs on March 7 during eighth period and at 3:10 on March 11.

Two Peas in a Pod: Maggie Kinnett as Jane Bennet

One of the literary world’s greatest love stories, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, revolves around a family of four girls, but more specifically on the eldest daughter Jane Bennet. Her like minded spirit, dedication and love for those around her is what drew senior Maggie Kinnett to choose her for her upcoming one person show.  

“I have always liked the book, and wanted to have a personal connection with the character. I took a personality test and then googled characters with that specific personality and she was there, and I love that character so I tried it and eventually stuck with it,” Kinnett said.

Choosing Jane Bennet was easy but Kinnett mainly focused on understanding how to incorporate other aspects of the story into her script.

“We did these exercises from different perspectives of people and then when I was writing I could understand that this person felt this way about Jane in the specific story. That way it makes it about the entire story, not just about Jane,” Kinnett said.

While her show is one of the most popular and adored pieces of fiction, Kinnett is just hopeful the audience receives it graciously. There is no dramatic undertone she is trying to accomplish.

“I just hope that they like it. There is not a deep meaning, this story is kind of just a love story,” Kinnett said.

Catch her show on March 10 at eight.

A Comic Strip of Comedy: Alex Flood as Calvin

The young boy with blonde hair, wreaking havoc at home with his stuffed tiger at his side constantly, is coming to Yorktown this month. Senior Alex Flood chose the hilariously misbehaved but adorable character, Calvin, from Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, for his upcoming one person show.

“I was looking at some other people; I like scientists but with them I would want to focus on the science which wouldn’t be a fun story. Every idea for a story with Calvin made me laugh and that is what I liked about it. I decided to do Calvin and Hobbes and we were doing a writing unit and I wasn’t sure who I wanted to do. I wrote a scene from my own life and you could replace every character with Calvin and Hobbes characters and it would be that story” Flood said.   

His show is likely to be full of humor and nostalgia as Calvin was a staple in dozens of children’s lives.

“I liked it because it’s relatable. I was a very hyperactive child and I really liked it because when I was young I couldn’t really read for a while. There were so many pictures that I could read it and it wasn’t boring or anything,” Flood said.

Flood is just looking to have a good time and make light of the situations around him constantly.

“I just hope that I make people laugh. That is my goal.  A lot of the shows are sad or dramatic and I would rather have a comedy,” Flood said.

Come see the troublemaker that is Calvin on the tenth at 9:20.

An Unlikely Story: Zach Youcha as Eduard Limonov

A man well versed in Russian politics and the literary world, Eduard Limonov has almost done it all. From staging a coup against Boris Yeltsin to writing and living in America, Limonov is an all around weird character. Senior Zach Youcha happened upon his story by accident and unlocked a life of incredible history, making the decision to tell his story for his upcoming one person show.

“He is a Russian poet and he went on to be a solider for Soviet nationalist forces. He tried to stage a military coup against Boris Yeltsin and was one of Putin’s biggest rivals in recent elections. After the invasion of Crimea he became very pro-Putin because he grew up in Ukraine. He was very happy Putin wanted to take Ukraine,” Youcha said.

Choosing Limonov was a bizarre selection for Youcha, who picked his biography at random and was introduced to an extremely complex character.

“I was in a bookstore in Sonoma Valley and hadn’t chosen a one person show character yet and chose a random biography and bought it. I read it and bought his books and thought he was really interesting. I also think that he is just weird,” Youcha said.

The writing and acting process has been time consuming and at times difficult but Youcha is pleased with his final product.

“I was always trying to do something I was happy with that I was allowed to do. Trying to find that medium was and still is difficult. There have been a lot of adaptations and every time is different. All I really want for the audience is to think after the show. The main goal of my show is to make people think about life, however pretentious that sounds,” Youcha said.

Catch his show on March 6 during eighth period and March 11 at eleven.

Recognizing the Importance of Human Rights: Rebecca O’Keefe as Doctor Jack Kevorkian

Doctor Jack Kevorkian, an American pathologist and euthanasia activist led a very interesting life which drew senior Rebecca O’Keefe to look deep into it for her upcoming one person show. Choosing Kevorkian was a long and difficult process, but the right one for the message she is trying to convey.

“He was very involved with euthanasia and a lot of patients. It was very in the moment. I was talking to my Dad and was originally going to do a lot of goofy characters, and it stood out to me and I felt the need to do him. I had lots of ideas. My script has changed probably seven times. You have to know what you want to say before you really start writing,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe is not afraid to take a stand in her show, recognizing the opinion held by many that euthanasia is a human right and should be respected as such.

“My show is a dangerous show. It is very one sided. I stand with euthanasia and recognize it as a human right. That is kind of my statement. I hope people don’t get angry and see the other side. I really just hope people enjoy it,” O’Keefe said.

See the doctor in action on  March 10 at 8:40.

Dive into World War 2: Peter Funk as Heinrich Willenbrock

Anyone that has studied the last one hundred years of history understands just how much the second world war shaped the world and global politics. Most people do not know, however, about some of the commanders in Germany at the time. Senior Peter Funk is hoping to change that by selecting Heinrich Willenbrock for his upcoming one person show.

“Heinrich Willenbrock is a U-Boat commander from the movie Das Boot and he is also a U-Boat commander from World War 2,” Funk said.

This character choice for his thirty minute piece has been one that Funk has known for quite some time.

“I went to the Museum of Science and Industry before freshman year and they have a U-Boat there. A U-Boat is a german submarine. They have a U-Boat there that was captured during World War 2 and I saw it and thought it was pretty neat, so I went home and watched the movie Das Boot,” Funk said.

The process is extremely time consuming and entails a large amount of dedication and patience. Funk is hoping that the audience leave his show enlightened and inspired to learn about a piece of history that is not as popular.

“It has only started to take shape recently. I think I rewrote my script eleven times. I want them to learn. I want them to walk away and be like, ‘huh I want to learn more about U-Boats and World War 2.’ I wanted my show to be more about teaching,” Funk  said.

He performs on March 6 during seventh period and March 11 at 11:40.

A Battle of Morals: Jonathan Teklea as Castiel

The hit show Supernatural came to television in September of 2005 and quickly gained a large following. The dark fantasy series includes themes of Christian theology and morality, two things that senior Jonathan Teklea is trying to encompass in his upcoming one person show.

“After our ten minute pieces last year Ms. Cadby told us to give either an idea, like a statement, or a person that we wanted to do. I chose Castiel because I really like the themes of right and wrong that he embodies in the series Supernatural and kind of the conflict he goes through when deciding what to do,” Teklea said.

Teklea is familiar with the storyline of the show but is hoping to introduce larger thematic ideas to the audience through the lights, sounds and objects on stage with him.

“The thing that was the hardest was kind of writing the show itself. I usually write in a succinct manner but you can’t really have a ten minute show. It is deciding what to add and adding conflict. But what I really liked about the show was kind of how the technical aspects of it added to getting the message across. The lights all have a purpose, the sounds have a purpose and where the cubes are have a purpose,” Teklea said.

He wants to help open up the conversation between the rights and wrongs in everyday life and is using Castiel to create that dialogue.

“I hope that the audience gets that doing the right thing is not always straightforward,” Teklea said.

Catch his performance on March 10 at 7.

Ella Webster

Nancy Drew: fictional detective

Every kid remembers reading Nancy Drew novels and not being able to stop. Ella Webster is now reintroducing Nancy Drew back into people’s lives and finishing up a story that was never completed. We follow Nancy Drew through many of her travels and mysteries, but we are never able to get the full background on her story.

“In the books it said that her mother died when she was young, but they never really said how so I wanted to show my own take on how I thought she died,” Webster said.

Webster’s show is a captivating tale of not only the mystery included in the series, but Nancy Drew being her own person. Webster really harnessed Nancy Drew’s willingness to be her own person and her story.

“I came up with my own story … I focused on Nancy Drew’s individuality and how she doesn’t really need to depend on someone else, she figures everything out herself,” Webster said.

Nancy Drew was consistently told that she could not be successful in solving mysteries and doing what she wants to do. People in her life, especially other men were the main voices in telling her no. Her goal was to prove to them that, just because she is a woman, does not mean that she should refrain from following her dreams. Nancy Drew pushed through all the negativity in her life in order achieve her goals.

“I think the message in general [is the most impactful part]  … Nancy doesn’t need anyone … to do what she wants to do,” Webster said.

You can see her performance on Saturday, March 11 at 3:50 p.m.

Casey Attallah

Chris Kyle: “American Sniper”

Some may recognize him from American Sniper, and others may recognize him as a Wounded Warriors supporter. Chris Kyle went overseas to fight four times and he has returned in order to help others deal with, and accept, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Senior Casey Attallah finds his inspiration in Kyle because he helped others and received help himself. The show is about Kyle’s life after returning.

“Chris has been back in the States for about six months … at the beginning it’s about coming to terms with PTSD and about the process of getting guidance from people to get through it,” Attallah said.

However, not everyone sees him as an inspiration. Since Kyle could be seen as using his whole life to kill other people, not everyone sees him the way Casey does.

“Chris Kyle’s a very controversial person … I’ve had people criticize me for doing him and people praise me for doing him,” Attallah said.

No matter what someone may be going through in life, they can probably find someone to help them through it. Kyle was a mentor to many, but in the process of coping with PTSD he also received help and had many mentors. This show captures every aspect of Kyle’s life and shows how good human nature truly is.

“It shows the humanity in people … no matter what you go through in life, you’re always going to have support,” Attallah said.

Catch his performance on Saturday, March 11 at 5:20 p.m.

Allie McGlone

Zelda Fitzgerald: socialite and novelist

Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of famous author F. Scott Fitzgerald, had an extreme passion for writing literature. Senior Allie McGlone shares this passion and finds inspiration in Zelda. Near the end of her life, Zelda Fitzgerald began to go crazy. This greatly affected both her life and her literature.

“She went crazy … she had this disconnection from reality, which I find really interesting,” McGlone said.

McGlone’s show starts when Zelda Fitzgerald meets her husband and ends when she dies. The whole show captures her descent into insanity while finding love. Many believe she was schizophrenic, although she refused to get treatment so no one was sure.

“The fact that [the show] provided insight into something that a lot of people don’t understand,” McGlone said.

McGlone’s show features her dressed as Zelda Fitzgerald in a traditional 1920’s costume. F. Scott Fitzgerald named her the first flapper so McGlone did not want to go overboard, but she did wish to showcase the casual style of the time back then.

This performance can be seen on Saturday, March 11 at 4:40 p.m.

Elizabeth Woolford

Rachel Carson: environmentalist

Rachel Carson was a women studying how to protect the environment when people were unwilling to acknowledge the fact that the environment was getting destroyed by chemicals and pesticides.

“When she started working for the environment, the word environment wasn’t even used,” Woolford said.

Carson began writing a book in order to inform others about what was going on in the environment. At the time, many large companies did not want people to know that their products were harmful to the environment.

“She is diagnosed with cancer when she turns 50 and her book is published months before she dies”

Woolford’s show ends on impact. She is a big activist for the environment and she hopes that while people are watching her show, they leave and are inspired to become active.

“It’s a call to action to everyone for stop being a spectator … especially with the environmental movement”

You can see her show on Thursday March 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Paige Little

Astrid: “Skyrim- The Elder Scrolls V”

Astrid is a fictional character from the popular video game known as Skyrim. Paige Little’s show brings Astrid to life and showcases her personality and the story of her life. When the game first starts, Astrid’s mom is killed by her own father.

“I chose to do [the show] about vengeance … in the beginning of the show her dad kills her mom and the whole show is about her getting back at her dad”

In Skyrim, Astrid kills many people, including her father at the end. Little has never been able to hurt even a fly. She hopes that by doing this show she can see things from another point of view.

“I’m trying to understand the viewpoint of a person who kills on a regular basis … a viewpoint I will never have”

Since Astrid is an assassin for most of the game, her killing people plays an important role in the show. In order to portray an abstract concept, such as the murder of someone, Little wears a white skirt for the whole performance.

“Everytime she kills, the skirt gets covered in blood … at the end of the show she’s completely covered in blood”

View her performance on Saturday, March 11 at 1:00 p.m.