the Love of Three Oranges comedic play May 13 - By Megan Joy

Jaydie Allen, a junior at Windham High School has been working hard along with her peers to perfect their forty-minute, comedic play: The Love of Three Oranges. As the student director of an independent project, Allen has been put in the hot seat to get the play up and running for the one and only showing next Wednesday. The play is, in Allen’s words, a short comedy about forty minutes long. It is based off of a plot line involving witch princesses, princes and kings. The hard part is not the play itself, but the responsibility and dedication that comes with participating. As the student director, Allen is expected to give stage direction, run rehearsals, decide on costumes, find places for rehearsal, decide on times that most/all of the cast can make, assign roles, and make sure that the show is smooth and everyone is confident with the final production.

When asked about her position in the theater, Allen replied, “I have both acted and worked backstage through community theater with younger kids. I wanted to try directing my peers. It’s definitely different than directing younger kids. I can take input from the actors and use that to my benefit. I welcome any input or concerns or questions from the cast to put into the show. I think of it as a team effort, not me just telling them what to do.” 

Allen also voiced her excitement for opening night, acknowledging how hard the cast has worked on the project. Since this is the first independent project that she has directed, Allen has been working hard to get everything perfect for opening night. Despite the constant barrage of standardized testing that comes along with her junior year, Allen has made sure that there is practice at least every Monday and Thursday along with one-on-one rehearsals. 

The show, which is scheduled for May 13^th, at 7:30 p.m, is in a black box theater. The cast will be interacting with the audience members throughout the play to contribute to the comedic portion of the show. The play is open to the public, but whether five or 500 people show up for opening night, Allen believes, “That they came to see us perform is what truly matters. We will perform our best for anyone who comes to see us.”