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Upper School Play

December 08, 2022

‘Forgeries of Jealousy’ Enjoys Magical Run

Upper School Play

 

Play Photo Gallery

 

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Forgeries of Jealousy on a magical run of performances on December 1 and 2. The Upper School production welcomed audiences of invited guests from Grades 5-8 for two matinee shows, while evening performances were filled with family, friends and the extended school community.

 

The Forgeries of Jealousy is a new play written and directed by Patti Veconi as a companion to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The story re-imagines what all the sprites of the fairy kingdom might (really) have been up to in the woods surrounding Athens in the days leading up to the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. With their king and queen locked in a marital dispute that has kept the sprites who serve Titania and Oberon apart for nearly two years, the fairies and elves have only a small window of time to rekindle old flames and encourage new ones while working together to restore peace in their kingdom. 

 

In an ensemble play there is no single protagonist, but rather a group of characters face the obstacle in the story together, while individual character challenges emerge to give the story more complexity. The real-life analogies revealed within this light-hearted visit outside of Athens prompted many conversations and because this was a premier production, the questioning and analysis from members of the cast and crew informed the work throughout its development. As co-director, Cait Hynes provided significant dramaturgical input and the final script we all heard was much stronger because of these ensemble efforts.

 

The play cast included: Caden Guy, Gemma Essex, Kenyon Lovett, Stephanie Stathoudakis, Catherine Mack, Sophia Feder, Havi Nor, Cecily Veto, Abigail Ryvkin, Frank Calacanis, Alina Stoll, Jack Walsh, MJ Evangelista, Derin Aksoy, Arabella Neff, Phoenix Ward, Ryann Parcell

 

The play crew included: Sylvie Weeks, Simón Brueggemann, Matthew Betro, Andrew Betro, Margaux Mayward, Stella DiChiaro, Laurenne Berha, Danny Calacanis, Nora Driskell, Pearl Berton Clemants 

 

There was a second group of stars in our show and they were the glorious set and prop pieces produced by the National Arts Honor Society students and very talented art teachers Helena Ng, Isabella Leisengang and Gabriel Freire.