November 22nd 2019. Opening night for the Shaker High School Theatre‘s Production of Alice in Wonderland. Lights were set, friends and family packed in, and curtains drew to a close. As Ms. Martino, the play’s director, finished her opening statement, the audience was excitedly waiting for the show to start. 

I haven’t been an observer to any previous productions of the SHS Theatre, however, upon first impression of their work, this was amazing. In particular, the facial expressions and moods created by the characters were very professional …or unprofessional depending on how you think about it. Alice in Wonderland has a very quirky storyline which forced the actors to slip into shoes they might not be completely used to. It is hard to believe that the entire cast of the play attend Shaker High School every day. Additionally, we have to applaud the lighting team, who create an atmosphere that reflects the storyline especially well, even with the limited props. 

After the performance ended, I had the exclusive opportunity to get an interview with one of the leading roles in the play. The King, played by Shashank Sekhar, was a character with many lines to round out the end of the play. I asked him what was the toughest part of being a part of the production. He told me that since this was his first major production, the toughest part was that he had to memorize so many lines. This goes hand in hand with the specific methods of delivery for all these lines. Despite this, when asked how much work participating in the play was, it took little thought to respond that “it was worth it.” Shashank also said the most fun aspect of the play was becoming friends and creating memories with the rest of the talented cast members. The play rehearsals are very long and time consuming, but in the end, Shashank was very happy he decided to audition for the play because he said it greatly improved his acting skills and also how he managed his time.

Hearing all this, when the school year comes around again, you might be enticed to get all your friends together and audition for the SHS Play.