Lend Me a Tenor comes to Aurora November 2nd and 3rd

It’s officially fall and that means it’s time for the Fall Play!! The play, Lend Me a Tenor, will be performed on November 2nd and 3rd which is in about one month. Auditions were held on August 28th and 29th with eight students participating, here are the following actresses and actors along with their roles:

Max-Nathan Welsh

Maggie- Karson Taylor

Saunders- Nolan Caponi

Tito- Johnny Kushan

Maria- Grace Caffoe

Bellhop- Briana Shimandle

Julia- Alana Noel

The crew has already started preparing for the play. Albrecht states, “We started blocking right after the cast list was posted. We are almost finished with that part of the process.”

Blocking during rehearsal is telling actors where they should move for the proper dramatic effect, ensuring sight lines for the audience and work with the lighting design of the scene. There is a lot put into the fall play, not only the people starring in it have a big responsibility but the stage crew does as well.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, Albrecht says, “Abbey Toth is the Stage Manager, Hannah Mohan is the Assistant Stage Manager, and Ben Sutter is the Student Director.”

Albrecht also said that they will soon be having announcements for a backstage crew. He said that it is a lot of fun and welcomes all to help out.

The play is about world-renowned tenor Tito Merelli. He signed on to play Otello at a Cleveland opera company in the fall of 1934. He arrives late and, through a set of crazy circumstances, passes out after mixing wine with a huge dose of tranquilizers. Believing that the divo is dead, the excitable opera manager taps his hapless assistant, an aspiring singer named Max, to suit up as the Moor and replace Merelli. Meanwhile, the tenor’s jealous wife, his ambitious female co-star, Max’s young girlfriend and the flirtatious head of the opera guild are on the scene fighting—sometimes literally—for the star’s attention.

I asked Karson Taylor (Maggie) what her favorite part of the whole production was and she said, “Lend Me a Tenor is a comedy, so it has a lot of funny lines. I’m excited to see how audiences react to our show. It’s classified as a ‘bedroom farce’, which is a type of show that I have never done before. I love getting to experience new types of shows and roles! It’s also really fun to get to work with some of my good friends on this show.”

I also asked Grace Caffoe (Maria) how she prepares for the play and she had an interesting response, “Listening to people with Italian accents and constantly running lines”

This is a great chance for people to branch out and have a good time after school.

Taylor and Caffoe also said that they would definitely recommend the fall play to people.

Taylor states, “I’m very passionate about theatre and performing, and I’ve met some of my best friends doing theatre. It’s really cool to put yourself in someone else’s shoes with every show you do. I’m also a Drama Club Officer, and we’re always looking for more people who want to get involved onstage and offstage. The theatre community is very welcoming, upbeat and friendly and has been a huge part of my life.”

Caffoe says, ““I would definitely recommend this to anyone! It is such a great experience that allows you to meet new people and have fun. Even if acting isn’t something you’ve done in the past, it’s always worth trying because you’ll never know how much you could love it.”

The fall play is really welcome to anyone and will find a place for you either on stage or behind the scenes.

Tickets are going to be $8.00 for adults, $7.00 for senior citizens, and $5.00 for students. So if you are looking for a good show - come support your fellow classmates and see the fall play at the beginning of November.