Usually, any type of show about school would result in a dull applause. However, FVHS’s Friday and Saturday productions of The Thespian roused the crowd in laughter and shock.
Fountain Valley alumnus Michael Cañas wrote this ‘dramedy’, which tells the story of a new theater teacher named Mr. Sanic who has to deal with the drama his arrival has caused in the school theater apartment. Cañas’ play had its original showing in 2007 when he himself was a student.
As the curtains are pulled, the audience is greeted the true way some high school student would first see it: a no-man’s land of different kinds of cliques who don’t want you bothering them.
The “outcasts” of this land are freshman Jennifer Hayes, played by Danielle Cañas, and transfer student Andrew Lewis, played by Alex-Quan Pham, who try to speak out, but are ignored, and ultimately, hated. On the other hand, popular senior Nick, played by Brandon Khong, basks in glory and adulation. All the while, Mr. Sanic, played by Michael Peters, struggles to keep the class together despite cliques and conflict.
Though it may not be an exact portrayal of high school, the show’s introduction proved that Cañas’ writes his play with a unique young perspective that connects the story’s content with the audience. The modern dialogue, coupled with the use of street slang, made the production more believable.
The only things that were missing were a bigger room and a nicer set to go with this wonderful production. All seats were completely filled, and the room quickly became stuffy. And the materials used for the set were not made carefully, which was proved during the second half when a “door” was slightly torn off. The cast was seen bustling about behind another rickety door and Mr. Sanic seems to be excessively indecisive a quarter of the time, calling Nick back and forth. Fortunately, these minor mistakes did not affect how well this production was executed.
At curtain call, the play’s cast handed out flowers to the original 2007 cast of this show in a heartwarming scene.
And even with a quite run-down set, the theater program successfully told a story of the struggles to preserve the past, and the hesitation, but necessity, to push for progress. When does tradition become decrepit? Should progress be stunted for the sake of empty entertainment? The Thespian took us to the depths of these questions, and showed us what the consequences can be if only one answer was chosen.
