ITS Spins a Web of Suspense in Trap
On March 24-25, members of the YISS International Thespian Society (ITS) put on the spring production: Trap. ITS rewards students in many aspects of theatre skills. At YISS, we have been building this program in order to allow students to reach their full potential in theatre arts. All of these accomplishments add to their thespian rank each year. This year, one student even reached the level of becoming a student director.
Throughout her work in various productions, senior Anne L. earned a 5-Star thespian rank and Honor Thespian Award. This year, she took the time to comb through numerous playscript databases to find our show for the spring. When she found the unique production, Trap, she raved about it to her peers and created hype for the show all the way through the audition process. Another 4-Star junior thespian, Rhea R. assisted in the audition process and also designed the artwork featured on the promotional posters. Recent thespian inductee, Cristina L. created a promotional trailer for the show using skills she learned in her technology classes at YISS.
Trap is a documentary theatre production, and the story is told through emails, interviews, sound bites, and on-screen visuals. Many students tried out for this production, and some even auditioned online due to a sudden switch to virtual learning. As our students are well-versed in the virtual world by now, they rose to the challenge and still delivered impressive performances through the camera. Once we were back on campus, our cast participated in workshops designed to encourage movement and improvisation.
Our managers began training their crew on sound, lights, and other technical elements in the sound booth. Working with the staff and student directors, the crew brainstormed and designed the lighting, sound effects, and transitions for the show. Senior and recent ITS inductee Isabella R. became backstage manager and organized all props and crew members. She created spreadsheets, charts, and took notes of cues while also training new stage crew members to do the same. The stage management was run by 2-Star thespian, Idris A., stepping into the leadership role after assisting in the fall production.
Ameerah J., a recent inductee, and Gianna P. cued and designed the lighting of the show, even working remotely during our virtual school week to do so. Sound effects were collected, mixed, and cued by SeMee Y., another recent inductee. SeMee also constructed and painted props for the stage. To create a documentary-style theater experience, students designed news articles, academic papers, and infographics to project on-screen during the show. These replicas wove the story together visually for the audience as the performers recounted the interviews and what they witnessed.
We are so thankful to the community and patrons of theatre for making this production come to life. Thank you to the parents who helped acquire props and the faculty who provided mentorship to our theatre students in show design and production.