Three High Schools, One Merry Band of Players

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars:  Verily, a New Hope

A Tale of a Merry Band of Players from Three High Schools

Last Thursday and Friday at the Lehman Alternative Community School’s Black Box Theater, students from New Roots Charter School, Ithaca High School, and Lehman Alternative Community School put on a fine production of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope.  I was fortunate to have a front-row seat in a sold-out crowd on Friday!

Directed by New Roots Charter School senior Kai Haskins, the play by Ian Doescher is indeed an “intimidating masterpiece,” to quote the Director’s Notes, “from the hidden puns and pop culture allusions to the diligent translation of Star Wars text into iambic pentameter.”   An unapologetic English lit major in graduate school, I was thoroughly delighted – and I agree completely with Kai that it is an amazing and wonderful thing that such a merry band of high school players would want to spend so many weekends perfecting such heady and good-spirited fun with Elizabethan-inspired 

 word play.

The actors and production team hailed from all three of our local high schools –IHS, New Roots, and LACS -- and one homeschooling student!  New Roots students played in a number of leading roles, including Grant Shinagawa as Luke Skywalker, Isaak Hill as Obi Wan Kenobi, and Emily Feavearyear as Darth Vadar.  A member of the ensemble, the ever-versatile Abby Snyder popped up in a wide variety of roles throughout the play.   Princess Leia was played by Emily Sharp-O’Connor, a senior at Ithaca High School who volunteered at New Roots last summer and stepdaughter of our own Kris Haines-Sharp.  Soren Mortensen was behind the scenes videotaping the show.  And Director Kai himself played a cameo role as a guard on the Death Star.  I especially liked recognizing Kai’s impact on the staging and acting as director, having had the honor of seeing him in action in many plays over the course of his high school career.

With minimal props other than great costumes by Laurel Wolfe, this talented troupe truly brought the story to life, capturing and sustaining the audience’s attention through a 2 ½ hour show.  So many people from the New Roots community were there!  I counted over 35 New Roots students, family, and staff members in the audience, including nearly 100% of our Humanities faculty and our very own theater maven, teacher Kim Gryko.

The Take Ten Theater Company is the brainchild of Kai his friend Molly Westbrook. Beginning with a production of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog last spring, their next production The Breakfast Club this spring.  While Kai and Molly both graduate in June, Kai says that it is their hope that the theater production company will continue with management that continues the tradition of collaboration between students from all three of our small city’s high schools.

With the war of words waging in the local media as the decision about the New Roots charter renewal draws nigh, I was inspired to see students from our three local high schools clearly having such a great time sharing their talents with one another and their community. Verily, a new hope!