On the weekend of Oct. 25 to 27, McLean’s Theatre department will be at the 2013 Virginia Theatre Association (VTA) conference to present their concert-style version of The Last Five Years.
Held at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, the conference invites students across the state to come together and spend the weekend performing productions, participating in workshops, and auditioning for college or pre-professional programs. This has been an annual event observed by McLean’s theatre students for many years. However, this year will be their second time participating in VTA’s competitions, specifically the play performance competition.
“We’ve been rehearsing for The Last Five Years every single day since the first day of school,” junior Emily Pruyn said, who is the head stage manager of this school year’s theatre productions.
The play centers on the relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy, a struggling actress, presenting the couple’s contrasting nature.
“There was the black versus white concept,” McLean Theatre Booster treasurer and historian Karen Perry said. “Male lead’s side is in black while the female lead’s side in white.”
The ingenious account of the chronology and development of their marriage, and the audience’s exposure to different points-of-view in the play’s situations were specially arranged as a concert version by Music Director Bobby McCoy.
“Being a modern piece, I brought present-day mannerism into the character and into my own personalities,” said junior Alex Stone, who was cast as the character Jamie. “The score, while beautiful and a blast to sing, is extremely hard, but with the direction of Amy Poe and music director Bobby McCoy, all those difficulties became barely noticeable.”
The play was showcased on Saturday, Sept. 28 at McLean, both as a formal presentation of the students’ diligence and as preparation for the play competition next week.
“The performance was very successful,” Poe said. “We had excellent attendance for this production and we combined it with a special red carpet event kicking off our season.”
While the theatre production seems to be a promising addition to the VTA conference’s play competition, there will be other aspects of the event McLean students will participate in.
“Tech theatre kids have the opportunity at VTA to enter competitions for stage design with model boxes or costume renderings,” said junior Marzanne DeLapp, who will be designing a model box herself. “[In this year’s criteria], the designs are to be made for a play called Shenandoah.”
Regardless of the results of the competitions, it is apparent that the students see the conference and The Last Five Years production as opportunities for developing the fine arts of theatre and as unforgettable experiences for the individual and for the McLean Theatre Company.
“The entire show is meaningful to me because it shows the flaws in life,” Stone said. “[It’s relatable to] everyone in this world. We all make mistakes and things we regret doing. For these reasons, it makes the show that much more beautiful.”
