This school year the Winthrop High School Drama Society has come back bigger and better than ever with their productions of Spongebob The Musical, Dinner-less Theater, and their upcoming production of Everyman. This will be the society’s first in-person competition in two years, since the pandemic began. I am part of the play myself and also helped in writing it with my friend Dan Tracy. I’ve seen the cast and crew members put so much effort and work into making this play the best it can be! I wanted to spotlight our hard work and get the news out there about this upcoming play. In order to do this I asked questions to Dan Tracy, an actor and writer, Chris Raney, our lead, and Jolena Zaccaria, our stage manager. 

First I interviewed Dan Tracy, a head-writer of the play, who is playing Fellowship in our production: 

Zoe: What did you enjoy about the writing process for this play?

Dan: All of it. I think the writing process for the play was very enjoyable. It was very fun creating these characters, reading the source material, and seeing how we would like to change it from there. 

Zoe: Did you learn anything about your writing style during this process? 

Dan: It was interesting trying to find a writing style that worked for the whole show because we had to find something that was formal but not too antiquated. 

Zoe: You also act in the play, do you enjoy writing for it or acting in it more? 

Dan: The writing. Writing allows you to create the whole world. While acting you are only allowed to only create one part of the world, but through writing you’re allowed to create the entire play and atmosphere. 

Zoe: Are you excited about finally going to a fest after 2 years? 

Dan: I’m very excited. 

Zoe: Why should everyone come see this show? 

Dan: You should come to see this show because it’s applicable to you and it’s about the human experience. No matter who you are you’ll be able to find the moral in it. 

Next I interviewed Chris Raney, who is our lead: 

Zoe: What’s your favorite thing about playing Everyman? 

Chris: I have a lot to work with character wise. It’s fun to go through it and think of the arch that he goes through because he could have gone in many other directions. 

Zoe: What has been your favorite production you’ve ever been in? 

Chris: I would say Charlotte’s Web because Templeton is objectively my best role. 

Zoe: Do you relate to Everyman in any way? 

Chris: Sort of, in the sense that I am very scared of dying and I don’t like to think about it but other than that I don’t relate to him too much. 

Zoe: Are you excited about finally going to a fest after 2 years?

Chris: Absolutely, it’s very fun and we haven’t been able to do it in a while. It is an experience that I want more of and that is very unique to middle and high school. 

Zoe: Why should everyone come see this show? 

Chris: We all worked very hard on it and I think it is a very interesting show to watch. 

Lastly I talked to our stage manager, Jolena Zaccaria: 

Zoe: What has been your favorite part of putting together this play? Watching rehearsals, building the set, etc?

Jolena: My favorite part about putting together this play was watching the writing process. It was very interesting watching it being put together. 

Zoe: From an audience perspective, what is your favorite part of the play? 

Jolena: I really like all of the movement pieces. They are all very aesthetically pleasing. 

Zoe: Are you excited about finally going to a fest after 2 years? 

Jolena: Yes I am very excited, I love meeting new people and am very excited to gain new friendships. 

Zoe: Why should everyone come see this play? 

Jolena: Everyone should come see this play because it teaches a very valuable lesson and everyone has worked very hard on it. 

I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about the process of putting together this play and the people that participated within it. We are having an open dress rehearsal this Thursday at 7 for free! I hope to see you there!