This past December, Rye High School’s Parsons Street Players put on their 16th annual production of “Senior Scenes.” This production is a yearly tradition in which members of Rye’s senior class select a three to ten-minute scene of their choice and use underclassmen actors to make their scene come to life. I have had the opportunity to participate in Senior Scenes for the past two years, and it has been truly an amazing experience. This year’s nine-scene production was put together by eleven seniors:
Madeline Kilroy, director of “The Investigation”
Haley Kloepfer and Annabella Milano, directors of “Gilmore Girls”
Zoe Loizeaux and Vincent Sculti, directors of “Wayne’s World”
Andrea Kamander, director of “The Engagement”
Timmy O’Donnell, director of “Fraiser”
Amelie Coghlan, director of “The Letter”
Sebrina Bucalo, director of “Road Rage”
Harrison Kaplan and Joseph Cavatoni, directors of “Sarcasm 101”
Senior Scenes is a welcoming space that allows experienced actors to thrive and new actors to find their way in a less intense environment. Since the rehearsals for Senior Scenes are less serious and demanding than the musical or the fall play, actors and directors can have fun and get to know each other while preparing for the show. Harrison Kaplan shared a fun moment from one rehearsal, where “one of [his] actors, Calvin Holler, performed the whole scene as a one-man show. He ran around the entire room in different voices. It was so funny and so great. We didn’t get too much done that way at rehearsals, but it was worth it.”
One noteworthy moment from my Senior Scenes experience was when the cast played an acting game called “Guest for Dinner” and selected me to lead the group and run the game. I remember the utter chaos of the moment: everyone screaming over each other as they tried to end the game. Although I think I ruptured an eardrum, this was one of my most fun experiences with the Parson Street Players.
Each of this year’s scenes offered something new and exciting to the show. Senior Timothy O’Donnell describes his thought process behind selecting his scene as “Just [thinking] about what kinds of scenes I found funny and what I thought would translate well on stage. I ended up picking my favorite episode of my favorite TV show. I knew it would be a challenge, but that was part of the fun–knowing that my actors might completely fail.” By rehearsing and directing the scenes, the seniors had to take the role of directors and guide their actors to success. Senior Harrison Kaplan described the experience of directing a scene: “At first the rehearsals were a little bit uncomfortable. I had no idea what I was doing or anything about most of the actors. But later on, everything clicked into place. Everyone got along so well, and we made a group chat named ‘Matthew Perry’ to commemorate the main actor in Sarcasm 101.”
In the end, the seniors saw their hard work come together onstage, their props set and their actors in costume. Senior Zoe Loizeaux, director of “Wayne’s World” recounted how “It felt so good seeing everyone in their costumes and with their props. Throughout the process, we never truly rehearsed with our props because a lot of them were brought from home and were hard to transport back and forth, so when we finally had the sound effects of the harmonica and the electric guitar on stage, it finally looked like the true ‘Wayne’s World’ basement.” Watching the seniors’ hard work and preparation come to life firsthand is something that I’ll never forget. Although the experience of being onstage and performing for an audience is always valuable, what has sticks with me the most is what happens before the curtain opens.
