New Works is a collection of student written plays that are produced and performed for the public and Manual’s student body. Combining the efforts of student directors, playwrights, actors, and production teams, New Works is an excellent showcase of the talents at Manual.
Andy Wallace (11, YPAS) has contributed to New Works both on stage and behind the curtain, acting their sophomore year and writing the play “Phantom Halloween” this year.
“I was in physics class and I was just kind of in my own little world doing my own thing and I was like, what if Halloween decorations? What if they were in Spirit Halloween? And what if they were alive and they had their own personalities?,” Wallace said.
Wallace drew their inspiration for “Phantom Halloween” from movies like “Night at the Museum” and “Monsters, Inc.”
“It’s about a bunch of Halloween store decorations, but they don’t want to be scary. They want to be funny and start their own comedy troupe. But you know, the world just wants them to be scary,” Wallace said.
David Pellman (11, HSU) is directing Wallace’s play. This year is Pellman’s first as a director, though like Wallace, he acted in New Works his sophomore year.
“I first started exploring theater in my freshman year and I started to like it more that year. I took Directing 1 out of nowhere and I enjoyed it. And last year when I was told what Directing 2 does, I was like, hey, I’m interested in this,” Pellman said.
In the playwriting class he’s taking this year, Pellman wrote “Revisit,” one of the plays chosen to be produced in New Works. The play tells a story about two childhood friends who return to each other and start to grow feelings. However, one has to deal with the weight of her father’s death.
Pellman leads the cast alongside his co-director Kolby Myers (12, YPAS). They lead rehearsals by blocking and practicing scenes, rehearsing lines and doing acting exercises.
They also throw in activities to keep the cast engaged, asking questions like, “What material do you feel like right now?” The cast has provided answers such as silk, corduroy, sequins, iron and even sandpaper.
This year is Myers’ first time involved in New Works, working as a co-director and a playwright of another featured play called “The Patient.”
“It’s about someone on their deathbed going through their life and seeing like their past actions and how they’ve treated others,” Myers said.
Myers credits his participation with New Works to the plays he’s seen in previous years. Last year, Myers saw “Blue 52,” a story about a whale with a specific voice making it so that the other whales can’t understand him. The play stood out to him, and made him want to be a part of New Works and direct a play.
Maggie Bautista (9, HSU) is an actor in “Phantom Halloween.” She found the audition process to be welcoming, which eased many of her nerves going in.
“It was honestly really low key even. I was still nervous obviously, but everyone was really nice because, I mean, they’re students as well. Going through the audition process, I thought everyone was really friendly and I just felt like myself, so it was great,” Bautista said.
In “Phantom Halloween,” Bautista plays Happy the Clown, a joyous Halloween decoration that only speaks in rhymes and wants the world to see how funny he really is. Yet even he falters when he realizes the reality of their situation.
As a freshman in HSU, Baustista faces the challenge of being a newcomer, surrounded by others who know each other well.
“I’m not around these people a lot and just getting to know everyone, it’s a process, but I know I’ll get there. But I’m still getting out of my comfort zone,” Baustita said.
Baustita enjoys the cast’s many bonding activities, such as improv and games. She explained that in other productions, she didn’t get the chance to get to know her castmates, and these opportunities have allowed her to open up. Throughout the rest of high school, she hopes to reach out further and enjoy theater alongside people with similar interests.
Design and Production (D&P) is the main resource for sets, props, costumes and makeup in YPAS, and they are especially busy during New Works.
As a sophomore in D&P, Zoe Peterworth (10, YPAS) isn’t able to work behind the scenes for New Works as the juniors and seniors do. Instead, she works on stage as an actor for “Phantom Halloween.”
Peterworth plays Scarecrow, a sarcastic “veteran” Halloween decoration. This is also her first year involved in New Works. Because she’s in D&P, Peterworth has to deal with the schedule overlap.
“I’m actually doing [set design] labs right now for a dance concert. So with rehearsals and labs, it’s a lot. From 2:30 to 5:30 I’m making this set for a dance concert,” Peterworth said.
Nevaeha Brown (12, YPAS) is making her creative debut behind the scenes in New Works, specializing in costume design. Brown is thrilled to branch out and challenge herself.
“New Works is very creative. Every year there’s always something new, something different, not ordinary, which is the good part about it, because you never expect what to do. You don’t know what you’re gonna be getting and so being able to just work on pieces that aren’t regular is so exciting,” Brown said.
Normally when stitching, Brown keeps to herself, her headphones blaring as she works on her sewing machine. New Works offers her more chances for collaboration with her peers, something she thoroughly enjoys.
Being in D&P has helped Brown ease into working on New Works. She spent her first three years refining her skills in costume design and creation. Although Brown has perfected her technique over the years, she still faces challenges when creating costumes.
Sometimes, Brown gets stuck on what seems like simple steps which halts her progress.
“I think that’s kind of the hardest part because you can really get in your head a lot. Especially if you feel like you guys are behind or on a time limit, because we do get put on time limits, just because we have to be done and the show’s going to start. It’s like I don’t wanna. I feel like I’m under pressure, but at the same time, I know I can do it,” Brown said.
New Works challenges the creative talents of all the students involved, but seeing their progress all play out in March makes it worth the while.
The casts of “Phantom Halloween” and “Revisit” will perform on March 14 and 15 in the YPAS Blackbox. Tickets are 5 dollars and will be released in March on the YPAS website.
