STENTORIAN
VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE 3
NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2016
Outlandish Family Takes the Stage
in You Can’t Take it With You
By ELIZABETH BEYER
“And so the beautiful
princess came into the palace,
kissed her mother, and her
father, and her grandfather...
And what do you think? They
turned into the Sycamore
family! Surprised?”
During the weekend of
Oct. 22, a group of talented
NCSSM students came
together to perform the fall
drama production. You Can’t
Take It With You.
This play from the 1930’s
centers around an outlandish
family, the Sycamores, each
with their own quirks, creating
a captivating comedy that
reflected the hard work of its
cast.
The quote above came from
Alice Sycamore, the odd one
out in a family of “riffraff.”
Clearly the only “normal”
one in the group, she works at
a stock company, where she
meets Tony, her boss’s son and
vice pre”aent of the company.
Alice loves her family and
she loves Tony, but marriage
is nearly out of the question.
She can’t see a way that her
family would ever get along
with Tony’s, a scenario that
is finally put to test when an
unexpected dinner between the
two families occurs.
Senior Claire Amon played
Alice. For her, Alice was a
challenge to portray because
Alice contrasts sharply with
characters in her previous
acting experiences.
You Can’t Take It With You actors rehearse before their performances.
ELIZABETH BEYER
In two of NCSSM’s
productions last school year,
Amon felt she could relate to
her characters on some level.
“I really wanted Alice,”
Amon said, “Because I
wanted something that was
going to be a challenge.” With
her complete professionalism
and lack of quirks, Alice
represented an opportunity
for Amon to stretch her
professional range.
To get in touch with Alice
as a character, Amon tried to
break down the play scene-
by-scene, constantly thinking
about Alice’s actions.
There was a guided free
range for the cast members to
interpret their characters, giving
Amon the flexibility to focus
in on who Alice is. Amon even
used a softer, higher tone when
she “was Alice.”
The love for theatre “runs
in the family” with Amon’s
junior brother, Aman Singh. He
plays the grandpa, the oldest
member of the eccentric family.
The grandpa’s quirks include
collecting stamps and snakes
as well as attending college
commencement ceremonies
although he despises them.
Besides embodying these
oddities, Singh also had to
portray the body language of
an aged man without being
overdramatic.
“I tend to make things bigger
than they need to be- bigger in
the sense of overacting- and it
loses the honesty of the scene,”
Singh said, “I’m really trying
not to do that... to make the play
as honest as possible.” Singh,
a passionate actor, had to tailor
his actions to not detract from
the story. Singh’s character is a
symbol of the play’s theme. For
most of his life, the grandpa was
very concerned with success.
He had an office job and
worked hard though he did not
enjoy it. One day, he quit his
job and never looked back,
proclaiming that he would no
longer do anything he didn’t
enjoy. This sets the stage for the
views of his family, and in
the end, the grandpa converts
Tony’s father to the idea
that you really can’t take
everything with you.
Student director Sarah
Grade hopes the audience
took this moral with them.
It wraps the happy ending
up neatly with the added
enjoyment of the “fun-to-
watch” comedy. As a period
play. Grade had to work
with the cast to make much
of the humor accessible to a
modem audience.
“We’ve added a lot of
subtle things that aren’t in
the script,” Grade mentioned.
Very little was removed from
the script, but some of the
presentation of humor in the
play was altered, to keep
the dramaticism funny for a
younger audience.
Beyond these small
changes, NCSSM’s produc
tion of You Can’t Take It
With You stayed very true to
the original. Actors were clad
in suits and dresses from the
‘30’s complete with period
makeup. Grade and the other
student directors helped the
characters to understand who
they were in the ‘30s, giving
them new life.
Whether it was their first
performance or one of many,
those involved with the play
loved the experience and
friends they made bringing
a beautiful and bizarre story
to life.
Fall Fine Arts Concert a Wish Come True
By JULIA WANG
On Sunday, Oct. 16,
NCSSM chorale, orchestra,
and wind ensemble presented
a magnificent showcase of
Disney music. The three
ensembles have practiced
diligently during the weeks
leading up to the concert,
and their hard work and time
sacrifice certainly paid off.
NCSSM’s very own a capella
group, the Unichords, also
presented two fantastic songs.
The following pieces were
performed:
Chorale: “Peze Kafe”
(Haitian folk song), “Simple
Gifts” arr. Stephen Lee,
“Someday My Prince Will
Come” (Snow White),
“This is Halloween” (The
Nightmare Before Christmas),
“Reflection” (Mulan), “A
Whole New World” (Aladdin),
“Ave Maria” (Fantasia), “Wish
Upon a Star” (Pinocchio)
Unichords: “You Da One”
The NCSSM Orchestra rehearses before the October 16 Fine Arts
concert.
JULIA WANO
by Rihanna and “Under the
Sea” (The Little Mermaid)
Wind Ensemble: “Galop”
(Fantasia), “Disney Movie
Magic” (medley from
various Disney movies) arr.
James Christensen, “The
Incredibles” (medley), “Mary
Poppins” (medley), “Alice
and Wonderland” (highlights),
“Wish Upon a Star” (Pinocchio).
Orchestra: “Disney Classics”
(medley from various Disney
movies) arr. Charles Sayre, “A
Day at Disneyland” (medley
from various Disney movies)
arr. Michael Story, “Pirates of
the Caribbean: At World’s End”,
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
(Fantasia), “A Night on Bald
Mountain” (Fantasia), “Ave
Maria” (Fantasia), “Wish Upon
a Star” (Pinocchio)
The concert commenced and
concluded with the same
song “Wish Upon a Star”
from the movie Pinocchio to
emphasize the theme of the
day: If you truly believe, any
wish you make will come
true.
NCSSM Fine Arts consists
of nearly 200 students who
take precious time out of their
weekly schedules to rehearse
ensemble and practice on
their own. Directors Scott
Laird, Philip Riggs, and
Dave Stuntz have contributed
enormous amounts of time
and energy to make this
program a success. Also,
special thanks to Scott Hill,
the choral accompanist, and
all generous sponsors.
After the fall concert,
parents sponsored a potluck
celebration for the performers
and audience right outside
the auditorium.