The E.O. Smith Drama Club
Presents
Three Senior-Directed Shows
Property Rites
A Short Drama by Alan Haehnel
Directed by Monty Grable
Defiance
Written and Directed by Steph Lefkowitz
When Death Crashes a Dinner Party
Written and Directed by Kat Boskovic
(Mature Themes)
E.O. Smith High School Auditorium
Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at 7:30 pm.: Property Rites & Defiance
Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.: Property Rites & When Death Crashes a Dinner Party
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.: Property Rites, Defiance, and When Death Crashes a Dinner Party
Suggested Donation: Students & Seniors $10
Adults $15
Property Rites
Directed by Monty Grable
Kyle: Max Gounaris
Rudy: Oliver Smith
Gladys: Avia Hartman
Mike: Logan Greenwood
Brent: Alex Gilchenok
Leeza: Ollie Henchir
Figure 15: Lucy Provost
Figure 3: Jazmin Santiago
Figure 1: Elle Ouellet
Figure 2: Julia Burns
Figure 4: Grace Bladen
Figure 5: Morgan Fontaine
Figure 6: Layla Fish
Figure 7: Makenzie Dahlen
Figure 8: Hayden Magoon
Figure 9: Asher Heumann
Figure 10: Laura Day
Figure 11: Kendal O’Hearn
Figure 12: Rana Dest
Figure 13: Dahlia Munley
Figure 14: Emily Leszczynski
Figure 16: Anastasia Wehner
Understudies:
Kyle: Asher Heumann
Rudy: X
Gladys: Layla Fish
Mike: Asher Heumann
Brent: X
Leeza: Elle Ouellet
Figure 15: Grace Bladen
Figure 3: Morgan Fontaine
Figure understudies (excluding 3, 15): Anastasia Wehner
There will be a 10 minute intermission between productions.
Defiance
Written and Directed by Steph Lefkowitz
Teenager: Logan Greenwood
Storyteller: Hayden Magoon
Emily Weathermay: Greta Garner
Maria: Katie Lynch
Amy Weathermay: Morgan Fontaine
Arthur Weathermay: Ollie Henchir
Nathaniel Patterson: Avia Hartman
Stephanie: Jazmin Santiago
Phillip: Elliot Lopez
Young Amy: Emily Leszczynski
Young Emily: Dahlia Munley
Martha Patterson: Lucy Provost
Ruby Weathermay: Laura Day
Alex: Kendal O’Hearn
Luna: Mackenzie Dahlen
Gravedigger: Julia Burns
Headmaster: Gracelyn Pare
Messenger: Alex Gilchenok
Guard 1: Cory Ray
Guard 2: Grant Gifford
Ensemble: Mackenzie Dahlen, Alex Gilchenok, Asher Heumann, Elle Ouellet, Lucy Provost, Anastasia Wehner
Understudies:
Teenager: Layla Fish
Storyteller: X
Emily Weathermay: X
Maria: River White
Amy Weathermay: Gracelyn Pare
Arthur Weathermay: Asher Heumann
Nathaniel Patterson: Alex Gilchenok
Stephanie: X
Phillip: Alex Gilchenok
Swing understudy: Elle Ouellet
There will be a 10 minute intermission between productions.
When Death Crashes a Dinner Party
Written and Directed by Kat Boskovic
Mrs. Ford: Layla Fish
Theodore Ford: Asher Heumann
Dr. Ludwig: Laura Day
Juliette Arsène: Katie Lynch
Balthazar: Kendal O’Hearn
Waitress/Death: Lucy Provost
Understudies:
Mrs. Ford: Greta Garner
Theodore Ford: Logan Greenwood
Dr. Ludwig: Anastasia Wehner
Juliette Arsène: Kat Boskovic
Balthazar: Grant Gifford
PRODUCTION TEAM
Directors…Monty Grable (Property Rites), Steph Lefkowitz (Defiance), Kat Boskovic (When Death Crashes A Dinner Party)
Stage Managers…Tobi Grable (Property Rites), Ollie Henchir(Defiance), Madeleine Ainscough (When Death Crashes A Dinner Party)
Set & Props…Mr. Welden with Monty Grable, Madeleine Ainscough, Jasper Cote, Tobi Grable, Eleanor Johnston, Veronica Pallo, Evie Sinclair, Liz Toomey, Trinity Stark, Elizabeth Lopez, Amelia Binette, Julia Burns, Emery Cooley, Jordan Van Dyke, Jane Pauley-DeLapp, Morgan Fontaine, Asher Hine, Eddie Johansen, Melia Kaulfeld, Mil McAleer, Julia Ruddy, Bethany Seiler, Lorelei Tindall, Soleil Vaillancourt, Aster Zhou
Stagehands…Eleanor Johnston, Liz Toomey, Tobi Grable, Madeleine Ainscough, Ollie Henchir, Jordan Van Dyke
Costumes/Design… Liz Toomey (Lead Costumer), Madeleine Ainscough,Melia Kaufold, Julia Ruddy, Elizabeth Lopez, and Casts
Makeup….Madeleine Ainscough, Tobi Grable
Sound…Jane Pauley-DeLapp, Evie Sinclair, Rilee Buswell
Musicians…(Defiance)Pianist: Jennifer Chen, Cellist: Marika Solomon Marcy
Violinist: Jane Pauley-DeLapp
Sword Fighting Choreography (Defiance)…John Aissis
Mic Management…Veronica Pallo and Evie Sinclair
Curtain…Michael Lowery
Lighting Design…Monty Grable & Jasper Cote & Asher Heumann
Sound Design…Jane Pauley-DeLappe
Assistant Sound Design….Evie Sinclair
Original Orchestrations…Jane Pauley-DeLappe (Defiance)
House Manager…Bethany Seiler
Concessions Coordinator…Bethany Seiler
Concessions…Cast, Crew, and Ms. Sara Heumann
Lead Usher…Elizabeth Lopez
Ushers… Jack Hall, Julia Haeger, Trinity Stark
Box Office…Ms. Abercrombie
Videographer…Mr. Welden
Cast Headshots…Bailey Fuerst
Promotion and Publicity…Ms. Abercrombie, Soliel Vaillancourt, Bethany Seiler, Ollie Henchir, Monty Grable, Kat Boskovic, Steph Lefkowitz, Ava Strauss, Jules Sawyer, and Adrianna Pagliano
Show Poster Design…Soleil Vaillancourt
Tickets….Bethany Seiler, Mr. Welden
Program…Soleil Vaillancourt, Ollie Henchir, Mr. Welden, Ms. Abercrombie
Drama Club Tech Director/Advisor…Mr. Welden
Drama Club Director/Advisor…Ms. Abercrombie
Gratitude
Thanks to
Sara Heumann
Barbara Gounaris
Village Springs in Willington
E.O. Smith Fine Arts Department
E.O. Smith Building & Grounds
E.O. Smith Foundation
E.O. Smith Faculty, Staff, and Administration
Parents, Guardians, Relatives, and Friends of the Cast, Tech Crew & Advisors
SAVE the DATES
For yet another E.O. Smith Drama Club Showcase:
Friday, May 3, 2023 @ 7:30
Saturday, May 4, 2023 @ 7:30
& Sunday, May 5, 2023@ 2:00
CLUE
Directed by Eleanor Johnson
She Kills Monsters
Directed by Katie Lynch
Director’s Note: Property Rites
Welcome Audience,
Over the past couple of months, the cast, crew, and myself have worked tirelessly to create something magical for each and everyone of you. We’re very honored that you chose to come to see not only Property Rites, but the debut of Defiance and When Death Crashes a Dinner Party.
When I was choosing a play for this fall semester, I sifted through lots of them. But the moment I saw Property Rites and its script, I fell in love with it. Not only did it have so many opportunities for creativity, but the theme of autonomy relates to our current world.
As of late, AI programs such as Chat GPT and Google Bard are becoming commonplace so I thought this play fit well. The idea of machines thinking, breathing, and feeling for themselves is not always something that crosses our mind, or if it does, you might think of Terminator or something that may happen in the distant future. And that’s part of the reason I chose this play, to showcase the humanity of AI and the possibilities for what might happen in the not so distant future.
To pull this off was more challenging than I had originally thought. I knew there would be pieces that would need practice, but I didn’t understand the true difficulty of choreographing things until I was in the thick of it. There was quite the learning curve on my part and I am very thankful to my cast for going with the flow as I figured out my vision for the play. I would prepare things in advance thinking they would look wonderful on stage and then change my mind after I saw it in action. The thing that took the longest to figure out was how to sit on the small boxes. I had to find a position that was both comfortable and fit the play. And while it posed a lot of difficulty, in the end we were able to work together to figure it out.
I would also like to thank my stage manager: Tobi. Tobi has been a wonderful help and excellent asset to make this production come to life. Tobi helped keep me on track during rehearsals, guided me through processes that I didn’t have working knowledge about, and filled in for me when I couldn’t be at rehearsal. I could not have asked for a better stage manager and this show wouldn’t have been possible without Tobi.
And one final thank you to all my wonderful cast and crew! This show has gone beyond what I had imagined and you have been amazing. None of this would have been possible without each and every one of you. Enjoy the show!
~Monty Grable
Director’s Note: Defiance
Thank you so much to everyone for coming to the shows! Writing and directing Defiance has been a wonderful experience. To start, I would like to thank everyone who supported me along the way: my parents and grandparents, my friends, Ms. Abercrombie and Mr. Welden, and my amazing cast and crew. Directing hasn’t been easy, and I couldn’t have done it without so many awesome people supporting me.
Writing an entire play was challenging, to say the least. I would like to give a special thanks to everyone who helped with the writing process, starting with my parents, who read early drafts of the play and helped make the dialogue feel more natural. Patty Lynch, a professional playwright, was kind enough to provide helpful feedback during a dramaturgy session over Zoom. Jane Pauley-DeLapp composed original music for the show. And, of course, I had several friends listen to my weird early versions of the draft and help make the plot more sensible (if you’re curious, there was a version where the whole thing was a play within a play, and another version with vampires).
Another special thank you has to go to the Drama Club’s incredible tech team, who created a world for this show. Before I started my directing journey, I was an oblivious actor entirely unprepared for how many technical components a show requires. Fortunately, the sets, costuming, lights, sound, and prop people were patient enough to put up with me. Without them, Sylvanoria never could have existed.
Hearing someone else speak words I’ve written is always a strange feeling, and watching people perform my words has been really, really cool. I’m so thankful for the talented actors who put their all into this show and brought my script to life.
Several times in the directing process, I doubted myself and wasn’t sure how I could continue with the show. I clearly have the most amazing friends ever, because each time I hesitated, I would get a text telling me how much the show meant to everyone, how well I was doing, and how they would be there if I needed anything. Ms. Abercrombie and Mr. Welden both contributed their time and wisdom. Ollie Henchir and Jane Pauley-DeLapp both stepped in countless times during rehearsal and helped with many behind-the-scenes decisions. So thank you, everyone who was involved in this show, for keeping me going and helping to create something special.
~Steph Lefkowitz
Director’s Note:
When Death Crashes
A Dinner Party
As the first script I’ve ever written for the stage, When Death Crashes a Dinner Party will always hold a sacred place in my heart. This murder mystery arose in an airplane this summer, the most unconventional of places where, amidst the soft hum of the engine and the glow of the overhead lights, this idea was born, the dinner party serving as a backdrop and a battleground for the exploration of our darkest impulses.
The characters you are about to meet were not hastily created on that flight, but rather are entities that have existed in the recesses of my mind for quite some time. The enigmatic presence of Juliette Arsène emerged from the shadows of a murder mystery birthday party, and the tortured artist Balthazar, who knows me better than I know myself, arose from the poetry and prose in the journal I always carry with me, his depth inspired from the countless musings between the worn covers.
I would like to give my greatest thanks to my six brilliant actors who have put in countless hours into bringing these beloved characters whom I am infinitely attached to into reality, and to the tech crew that carefully crafted a beautiful stage to house this cryptic tale. I would equally like to give my appreciation to Ms. Abercrombie and Mr. Welden for granting me the grandest writing opportunity of my high school experience, with whom this would not have been possible. Lastly, I’d like to give an immense thank you to Madeleine Ainscough, our exceptional stage manager, who has diligently worked to bring this vision to life, despite how scatterbrained I may be. Without her efforts, we would not be here today.
When Death Crashes a Dinner Party is not just a play, it is an invitation to delve into the complexities of human nature and philosophy–the grimy details that push us to commit the darkest crimes. You will be transported into a world where deception and desire dance an intricate tango, where the line between right and wrong blurs, and where the answers to life’s most profound questions hide in the shadows. We encourage you to engage with the unfolding drama, question the motives of each character, and consider the entanglement between morality and mortality. Allow the unraveling mystery to pull you into its depths, and let the revelations challenge your perceptions.
We, the E.O. Smith Drama Club, are honored to share this original performance with you tonight. As the lights dim and the curtains part, I invite you to uncover the missing case of professor Edmund Ford. May fortune be on your side.
~Kat Boskovic
- O. Smith High School Drama Club
thanks you for the support and hopes you enjoy the show(s)!
