On Saturday, March 14, Manual’s Youth Performing Arts Center (YPAS) concluded the annual New Works Festival with the final Slate 2 performance. This show included five short plays which Manual students wrote, directed and performed.
“It’s really cool to see all the students’ work on display, and all the hard work that they put in during their production and writing the plays and directing,” New Works actress Abigail Seow (11, YPAS) said. She acted in Slate 1 and watched her peers perform in Slate 2.
The first play, titled “Two Space Cowboys Walk Into a Bar,” is a comedic, western and sci-fi fusion about toxic masculinity. Starring as rival protagonists Thadd and Nebulon, Kode Embers (11, YPAS) and Jayce Osborne (10, YPAS) compete through three different challenges to prove who’s the best space cowboy in the galaxy.
The performance shifts into a darker mood with “Left on Read,” a tense murder mystery. Through time skips and fast-paced dialogue, the play tells the story of Ethan, played by Amari Retter (11, YPAS), after he dies mysteriously on prom night. Ethan’s date, ex, friend and classmate gather together to dissect the pieces of what happened to the slain prom king.
The fourth play, “Brake Free,” explores the life of a girl named Lorna, played by Georgia Baker (9, YPAS), who is very much like the average high school student as she learns to drive. However, Lorna is entering her second gap year and is 22 years old. Her mother, played by Sadie Eichenberger (12, J+C), tries to encourage her to go to college, but she knows all too well of the grief Lorna is experiencing from the somewhat recent loss of her brother during a car accident. Lorna pushes through and begins taking driving lessons from Noah, played by Atlas Rhyne (9, YPAS), who reminds her of her brother through their shared trans identity.
A musical blend of coming-of-age classics “Teen Beach Movie,” “Lemonade Mouth” and “High School Musical,” with references to Disney Channel’s original movie choreographer, Kenny Ortega, “Teen High Lemonade School Musical” is a hilarious take on what it’s like to be a new student at school. Alex, played by Maya Nanda (11, YPAS), is bombarded by an over-the-top student body that bursts into song during any type of conflict. In one scene, Alex learns more about the social dynamics of the school through the “mean girls” of the play, Courtney and Charlotte, played by Madison Victor (10, YPAS) and Emma Smith (9, VA). The play ends with the characters singing together as they realize they are more than just the stereotypes they have been assigned.
“It’s [New Works] such a fun experience to get to work with other people who have different levels of acting experience, and it’s kind of just like you’re all in it together,” Nanda said.
A Slate 1 performer, Chastity Cardell (11, YPAS), also described the importance of New Works’ supportive community.
“It [New Works] was a moment and an experience that I would never give up, and I love all the memories and all the people that I met,” Cardell said.
Cardell emphasized how the festival brings people together from all grades and levels of experience to perform.
If an individual is passionate about theater, has performed in the past or wants to try something new, New Works is a great opportunity to improve and showcase talent. This year’s performances have come to a close, but next year’s festival will bring new opportunities to step onto the stage, behind the scenes or into a playwriting class in order to create something for peers to applaud.
