The OHS Theater performed “Tartuffe,” a play put on in the black box, the smaller of the two theaters at the high school, from May 1 to May 3. “Tartuffe” was the last play performed by the OHS theater for the current school year. This play exhibits the art of deception with Tartuffe manipulating Orgon throughout the play.
Sophomore Sophia Doyle was the stage manager for “Tartuffe.” Theatre director John Davenport chose Doyle to be stage manager because she was the assistant stage manager for the previous play, so she already knew many of her responsibilities.
“I have done theater at Oxford since middle school, mostly in shows as an actor, and I audition for all the shows,” Doyle said. “Then, if I ever audition and do not get cast in a particular show, crew is a really good option. I love Mr. Davenport. He is definitely very honest and he will definitely push us to do better if he knows he can be doing better. I would say some people think his humor comes off a little harsh at times, but I think he is very fun to work with.”
After the final cast list is released, a lot of planning goes into creating the schedule for rehearsals. Rehearsals usually start right away and continue until right before opening night. A lot of aspects are behind the scenes, and there are
many different jobs to ensure the play runs smoothly.
“We had a lot of blocking rehearsals, which is just going through and telling the actors when to move, where and what they are doing to kind of get the groundwork for the show,” Doyle said. “My job throughout was to write everything down, so I was just sitting there for three hours taking notes pretty much. But once we got a little farther along, we did more polishing, working on actual acting skills and then my job got more complicated because that is when we got into lighting and sound for the whole show.”
“Tartuffe” was put on in the smallest theater provided in the high school, so there were a lot less people in the crew compared to the previous show. There were less technical jobs, making managing the show a little easier.
“There is so much going on that you really do not have a minute to zone out, so it really keeps you focused cause you can not really get distracted for a second,” Doyle said. “It is a live show, so things are different every night. Davenport also likes to keep us on our toes, and he will be changing things right up until opening night and even after that.”
A lot of hard work and dedication goes into putting on a play such as “Tartuffe.” The cast runs scenes until they feel everything is perfect and running smoothly. They rehearsed for two and a half hours every night for five weeks. Then, for tech week and transversal they are there from 6 p.m. to 10-10:30 p.m..
“Dress rehearsal is when you can see the show and ideas actually come together,” senior Evelyne Denham said. “Everything is put together for the first time, which is so fun because you get to see all the hard work. Some parents and family come in, and we have a few previews during dress rehearsal, so it is good to see how the comedy plays off the audience during that time.”
Denham played the role of Elmire, the main love interest involved in a love triangle between Tartuffe
and Orgon, in “Tartuffe.” She has performed in plays for Oxford since middle school and has fallen in love with theater over the years.
“In Seventh grade I did not think I was ever going to do it again, but I went in to audition for Frozen Junior with my friends anyway,” Denham said. “They backed out before the audition even happened, but I just stuck around because I was waiting on my parents to come pick me up, so I went in to audition and really fell in love with theater. My senior year show being the last show of the season pushed me to audition to be a part of it because I would not want to regret not doing it in the future. I want to experience everything that the theater program has to offer because it has given me so many friendships and many memories and lessons.”
