Recently, the HHS theatre council encountered what would be, for most schools, a showstopping issue. The rights to the play they had been preparing had not been acquired, which left them scrambling to find something else to perform. However, some brilliant visionaries saved the day with the idea of “Just Listen”, a compilation of monologues, speeches, and skits all performed by the students in the council. The drama students displayed their originality and creative versatility in this one-of-a kind performance.

The performance was directed and produced by Cassidy Fitzgerald and stage manager Kate McHale. The list of performers included Sabrina Schubert, Max Miller, Surya Vaidy, Theresa Smith, John Saverino, Maddie Ortiz, Sydney Goldstein, Aidan Minter, Lauren Cesta, Evan Centofanti, Brandon Luckenbaugh, Matthew Conlon, Sheena Samuel, Steven Bizzoco, Mike Bizzoco, Russ Conroy, Maggie Johnson, Jason Guarino, Natalie Sheik, Max Miller, Milady Atalamatos, Russ Conroy, Simren Patel, Erin Mooney, and Zoe Hack.

The performance began and ended with a skit involving all of the cast members in which an actor/actress came forward to say a simple phrase that can relate to anyone such as, “I feel like I’m alone”, then the group would collectively say “Just listen”.

The simplicity of the phrase and the magnitude of the cast amplified their goal, which was to encourage understanding and emotional support across the board. The skit could be described as minimalist, but with a large impact as it set the stage for the following acts and summarized the main idea perfectly; it helped express that no matter where you come from or where you are going, everyone needs help and everyone could use someone to “just listen”.

“It was definitely beneficial for me as a person,” actor Jason Guarino said. “It was such an honor to be a part of something so old that you can create yourself.”

The acts varied, with each performer picking what they wanted to act out. Two skits were from popular movies, such as Pocahontas and Ratatouille. The usage of a familiar scene resonated with the audience and furthered the understanding of the theme.

The Pocahontas scene was an excerpt from the movie where Pocahontas saves John Smith from being punished for his actions, and makes Smith realize they need to work together.

The Ratatouille sketch was from the scene in which the food critic comes to the realization that “everyone can cook”, and that everyone has an extraordinary skill to be shared.

The two skits are different in monologue, theme, and setting, but similar in premise. The Pocahontas scene promoted equality and companionship between two “different” types of people, and ultimately led to peace. The Ratatouille scene promoted the idea that everyone has something special about them. Both scenes promoted listening and understanding, the former by showing that just listening and understanding can make a big difference; the latter showing that everyone has something worth listening to if one only has the patience.

The acts ranged from the humorous to hard hitting and emotional. It ranged from a condo manager fulfilling the wild requests of the tenants until he could no longer physically handle himself to the emotional, which showed a group of friends that suffered from their own issues until they all committed suicide. Both stressed the issue of everyone being caught up in their own issues, and the need for people to stop and take the time to check in on their friends and loved ones. It also emphasized the harmful consequences of ignoring problems and internalizing emotions. Even though both acts had different emotions, they reached audience members in similar ways.

A favorite of the night was “Atelophobia,” performed by Surya Vaidy. We found Vaidy’s piece to be painfully real. “Atelophobia” is described as the fear of imperfection, which Vaidy states in the opening. As the piece progresses, Vaidy became visibly emotional, to convey the very real and significant effects of this.

“I struggle with this everyday, and I might as well talk about it because when I do it helps a lot,” Vaidy said.

Vaidy was brave to perform this in front of an audience, and creative enough to create a piece based on his personal experiences that captured the attention of the audience.

What we took from the piece was that phobias are not always silly little fears, but rather are real and they have harmful effects. Overall, it was a powerful piece that fit in with the theme perfectly.

We commend HHS theatre and its ability to create something so powerful and original in such a short amount of time. The work of theatre council President Emily Obenauer, VP Amber Elefante, Secretary Maya Wagner, Productions Manager Kate McHale, Outreach Coordinator Sarah Friedman, Student Ambassador Natalie Sheik, Publicity Co-chairs Evan Centofanti and Brandon Luckenbaugh, Fundraising Co-Chairs Zoe Hack and Megha Sawhney, and Lobby Co chairs Morgan Carroll and Sitara Vaidya made “Just Listen” an evening to be remembered.

Their performance truly shows that the combination of great talent and great management can create powerful and emotional art. We think each student brought his or her own individual aspects to the performance, and that it stressed the theme in unconventional ways. Great job HHS theatre!

Hillsborough High School is lucky to host such a talented group of individuals! Stay tuned for their upcoming performance on May 12, 2018!