Yorktown HS Theater

Several of the Yorktown theatre Alumni, Muriel MacDonald, Kay Warren, John Houston and Alicia Mau will be performing their one person shows at Artomatic in DC at the Navy Yard on Friday July 3rd 5:00 - 8:00 PM.  Click for a poster about the shows.   Come out and support these YHS Theatre Alum, Artomoatic and enjoy the art!!!!

ONE-PERSON SHOWS
The culmination of the 4-year Yorktown Theatre Curriculum is the One Person Show.  These were performed in the black box at Yorktown during the school day and on Sat April 25th and May 2nd at the black box at Kenmore. After the last show at Kenmore, the presenters talked about their experience and took questions from the audience.  Three alumni graduates of the program also commented.

Exhibit still there a/o June 14.

Please drop by the Lee-Harrison Starbucks to see "Curtain Call," an exhibit of photographs of the 2009 Theatre IV One-Person Shows.   These photographs document the seniors' culminating theatre project, a 30-minute performance written, directed and acted by the student.  
The exhibit was made possible by the talent and generosity of Jim Coates, who not only took the photos but also edited, printed and mounted them for the exhibit.  (Jim has two children who graduated from Yorktown; both took theatre and created One Person Shows, Daniel as "Che Guevara" in 2004 and Ellie as "The Little Prince" in 2006.)  The Theatre IV class of 2009 is grateful to him for recording their special moments on stage.

 


 Photo by Jim Coates 


The Imaginary Invalid won first place at  both the district and regional levels of the 2009 VHSL One Act Play  Festival.  It is also the  sixth Yorktown production in the past 10  years to reach the state level: Julius Caesar (1999),  Bury the Dead (2000), East of the Sun, West of the Moon (2002), Oedipus (2007), Dracula (2008) and The Imaginary Invalid (2009).  
The Imaginary Invalid    is a rhymed-verse adaptation by Timothy Mooney of Molière’s  classical comedy staged in the Commedia dell ‘Arte style. The hypochondriac Argan wants to be  sick, or thought of as sick, and tended to by doctors and his  family.  His desire for treatment outweighs his judgment, as he  allows his wife and many doctors to take advantage of him and tries to  marry his daughter to an idiot doctor-in-training.   Only the collaboration of the maid, Toinette, with his brother can foil  the wife, conquer the doctors and satisfy Argan. At the end of the play  Argan’s brother contrives a farcical ceremony which convinces Argan that  he is a doctor in his own right.  

Yorktown Gets Top Honors in Regional One-Act Play Competition

Yorktown High School placed first at the regional Virginia High School League (VHSL) One-Act Theatre Arts Festival on Jan. 31 with the student-performance of The Imaginary Invalid.   
Photos of the regional by Jim Coates at www.collages.net  username invalidreg  password  14545

In addition to receiving top honors, judges named nine members of the cast as All-Stars. They were Philip Baraoidan, Curt Gavin, Allison Ham, Avery Hitt, Paul Kenney, Muriel MacDonald, Elaine McCartin, Charlie Resnick, and Brooke Weber. MacDonald was named Best Actress for the entire competition. Weber and Kenney were runners-up for best overall actress and actor respectively.

This is the third time Yorktown has placed first at the regional competition.


 

Yorktown High School Fall One Act Shows…
 

The Imaginary Invalid   photos   See reviews below
Cave Dream   photos
In a strange land  photos

 Show Preview photos and posters can be purchased from Jim Coates at  www.collages.net with following entries:
User:
invalid    stranger   or   cave    and password   14545
Rehearsal pictures also available with: 
User:  invalidreh,  strangereh  or  cavereh     and password :  14545 
25% of the profit goes to TAP


For the "Critics Choice" Award Categories that will be listed on the Cappies ballot see

http://www.cappies.com/shared/choices-listcat.php?year=2009&region=NCA&all=1 

 
  

Calendar 2008 - 2009    
 

 -----------------------------------------------------

Yorktown High School Theatre Arts Department  Peter Pan
                  
  CLICK for photos  (by Dwight Marsh)  Below: photos by Jim Coates.
 

Show photos can be purchased from
Jim Coates at  www.collages.net   Guest  entry portal  
  User name:
ppcast    Password:   14545 for ALL the pictures of the performance.
  User name
peterpan  Password:   14545 for four large pictures of the cast & orchestra for printing.
Half of the profit goes to TAP.

 

PHOTO ALBUM   

         

 

 

ShowBizRadio.net
Yorktown High School The Imaginary Invalid

By Cappies Nov 17th, 2008 Category: Cappies

The classical style of Moliere met the rambunctious and energetic expression of Commedia dell’ Arte in an explosion of theatrical creativity at Yorktown High School this weekend in their production of The Imaginary Invalid.

Originally performed in 1673, the one act tells the comical tale of the hypochondriac Argan, who is convinced that he is direly ill, when in fact he is not. In order to receive free medical care, he decides to have his daughter, Angelique, marry a doctor. Unfortunately, Angelique is already in love with young Cleante. It is up to Angelique, with the help of Argan’s brother, Beralde, and their clever servant, Toinette, to convince her father that he is not ailing and that she, therefore, need not marry a doctor.

Yorktown made a clever choice in deciding to perform this already hysterical piece with the masks, mannerisms, and stock characters that accompany Commedia dell’ Arte. Although the mayhem at the beginning was slightly confusing, as the performance went on, it became easier to follow. The production as a whole was very enjoyable. The talent of every member of the cast was remarkable. Even as the actors took turns playing the lead characters, the show maintained its flow.

The actors switched off playing the lead roles; with three acts, there were three Argans and three Toinettes. Though all three actors in the role of Argan brought enthusiasm and energy to the character, Philip Baraoidan, taking the role in Act One, stood out, bringing remarkable and noticeable depth to the ancient stock character. Similarly, Allison Ham as Toinette in Act Three shone in her mastery of melodrama. Emily Johnson also demonstrated the powers of intentional overacting necessary for her character in her portrayal of Angelique.

Not only did the actors alternate playing the leads, they also traded off playing the three Zanni, or servants. The Zanni ensemble in Act One, played by Paul Kenny, Elaine McCartin, and Eileen Sugameli was particularly well-acted. In constant motion, the ensemble was always entertaining but never detracted from the main action of the show.

Although there were a few glitches in the technical aspects of the show, there were also strong points. The sets crafted by the Yorktown set crew were wonderfully versatile. The costumes, headed by Raphael Regan, Philip Baraoidan, and Emily Johnson, were fantastic. Cohesive but unique to each character, removable pieces passed between leads made it easy to follow who was who.

Although The Imaginary Invalid is difficult to alter, Yorktown made the show their own in an enjoyable evening of laughs and lazzis.

by Allie Cropp of Fairfax High School 

Reviewed on November 15, 2008

Name School Publication/Broadcasts
Keith Boylan George C. Marshall Washington Post - Alexandria/Arlington Extra
Ashley Adams South Lakes High School Washington Post - Alexandria/Arlington Extra
Alex Turner South Lakes High School Connection
Allie Cropp Fairfax High School ShowBizRadio.net
Patrick Gould Thomas Jefferson High School The Sentry

Keith Boylan
George C. Marshall
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Alexandria/Arlington Extra

Argan the Miser’s body is giving him trouble...but what is the source of all this pain and misery? Is it the liver? The spleen? The lungs? Or, perhaps, simply the head? Regardless of the diagnosis, Yorktown High School's performance of "The Imaginary Invalid" last weekend had the audience "sick" with laughter.

"The Imaginary Invalid" is the story of the hypochondriac Argan (Philip Baraoidan, Ben Taylor, and Paul Kenney), an old man who is constantly worried about his health, which he thinks is rapidly deteriorating. Thus, Argan is ardently loyal to his entourage of doctors and pharmacists and decides it would be a great idea for his daughter Angelique (Emily Johnson) to marry a doctor so he can reap the benefits of his profession and save some money on treatment. Angelique has other plans, however, as she is already deeply in love with young Cleante (Sam Taylor).

With its wildly energetic cast and incredibly fast-paced action, "The Imaginary Invalid" proves to be a very exciting and entertaining performance, from the minute the actors flock into the theatre through the aisles of the house, to the end of the semi-musical and pleasantly bizarre “doctrification ceremony” finale. After the initial shock and necessary acclimatization to the Commedia dell'Arte style of the play, with light-speed rhymes and transitions that flow like an erratic Dr. Seuss story, the performance is immensely fun and enjoyable.

All of the actors emoted extremely well, especially when one takes into consideration the fact that almost all of them were wearing masks that covered all but their mouths. One standout role was that of Angelique, nailed by Emily Johnson, whose marvelously melodramatic portrayal of Argan's hopelessly romantic daughter was as hilarious as it was well-done. Shrieking and sighing her way through the three acts all on her own, while most of the other parts were traded between actors, she dominated the stage with her electrifying presence composed of absurd facial expressions, classic gestures, and great vocal variety.

Despite some shaky spotlights, the lighting in the show was well-executed, illuminating the entire stage and a good deal of the house, which was appropriate considering the actors had already broken and jubilantly trampled upon the fourth wall within the first few minutes of the show. Overall this added wonderfully to the style of the play, as did the great three-piece wagon set that swiveled around after each act to reveal a new room.

Yorktown put on a crazy show last weekend, and though "The Imaginary Invalid" had a terrible case of the sillies, it was a wildly amusing romp through Moliere’s final play.


Ashley Adams
South Lakes High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Alexandria/Arlington Extra

It began with a single shoe suspended above the stage…and only got stranger as the night progressed! Yorktown High School’s production of "The Imaginary Invalid," Moliere's last work, first performed in 1673, was a night of pure comedy.

Argan (Philip Baraoidan, Ben Taylor, and Paul Kenney), the perpetual hypochondriac, sits in bed, perusing the bill for his latest slew of medical treatments. Due to his endless imaginary illnesses, Argan’s doctors have been more than willing to prescribe any treatment, in the process "bleeding" him dry. To help lessen the financial burden, the miser decides to marry his daughter, Angelique (Emily Johnson), off to a physician. However, as the audience soon discovers, Angelique has recently and unfortunately fallen in love with the handsome Cleante (Sam Taylor).

The production was performed with an undeniable energy that never wavered throughout the show. The entire cast committed brilliantly to the larger-than-life Commedia dell'Arte style. Along with stellar costumes and an aesthetically pleasing and functional set, and with the exception of a few lighting problems, the show was well-paced and flowed very smoothly.

While each actor playing a rotating part brought something unique to their respective roles, Philip Baraoidan was exceptional in his portrayal of Argan in Act One. He completed his characterization with a teeth-grinding, wheezy voice and several gestures and neuroses unique to his character. Emily Johnson was perfectly melodramatic as Angelique, alternatively whining or frolicking about the stage whenever the respective occasion called for it.

Erin Reitz played Argan’s unfaithful wife with just the right amounts of cunning and carelessness. Her bit with Monsieur Bonnefoy had the audience laughing hysterically. Allison Ham brought something special to her role as Toinette, her great energy and comedic timing moving the scene along as well as adding a few laughs.

The Zanni set the tone of each scene using wacky, over-the-top movements to make up for whatever facial expression were lost to their masks. Always present in the scene, usually underplaying nicely with small bits, they never upstaged the main action.

The Yorktown Set Crew deserves a round of applause for their functional yet visually appealing sets. Beautifully decorated, with Argan’s bed doubling as a bench, the wheeled set pieces allowed for easy set changes. All of Yorktown’s costumes were notable as well, with several pieces being either completely or almost entirely original. There were some problems with lighting, however; follow spots would occasionally jump ahead or behind the actor they were meant to follow.

Altogether, Yorktown put on a very enjoyable evening with their production of "The Imaginary Invalid." Their commitment to the show's energy really made the audience part of the show and kept everyone engaged in the show’s goings on.


Alex Turner
South Lakes High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

From the back of the theatre, a high-spirited company of players tumbled down the aisles with chandeliers, costumes, and props in hand. The audience quickly discovered that this traveling troupe would deliver a wonderful night of comedy in Yorktown High School's production of "The Imaginary Invalid."

"The Imaginary Invalid," Moliere's last work, debuted in 1673 starring the playwright himself. The play satirizes the silliness of doctors of the time period who scammed patients, billing them for phony medicines and procedures. The story follows the rich hypochondriac Argan as he forges through life trying to understand the mayhem ensuing in his household while longing for his next dose of unnecessary medicine.

Presented in its original Commedia dell' Arte style, the Yorktown players succeeded in presenting a well-developed period production. One of the most impressive feats was the continuity of the characters, as multiple actors stepped in to play them. A single role might be played by as many as three actors throughout the show, with the transitions cleverly indicated by the passing of a mask or by interludes between acts. The lead role of Argan was shared by Philip Baraoidan, Ben Taylor, and Paul Kenney. Each added his own flair to the character but stayed consistent in landing comedic moments and maintaining the stature and personality of nutty old Argan. Opposite these actors, Emily Johnson playing Angelique, the daughter of Argan, filled the stage with her presence and grace as a proper lady of the time while supplying hilarity to all situations.

The principal actors were handily supported by a talented ensemble cast. The actors took the audience on a fast paced, high energy ride while conquering many challenges presented by the piece. One of these challenges was acting behind the traditional Commedia masks used to represent the stock characters in the show. The actors were mostly successful in exuding a bevy of expressions and emotions solely through the movement of their mouths and eyes. A second challenge was ensuring that the rhyming couplets did not become monotonous or too "sing-songy." The ensemble's clear understanding of the text and the characters' motivations were shown through their skilled delivery. One notable group that embodied the style of Commedia dell' Arte was the Zanni ensemble, the clowns of the show who provided slapstick comedy and physical humor that was the cornerstone of the stylized show.

The technical aspects of this production were simple but exquisite and appropriate to the time period. Costumes were bright and provided clear commentary on a character's social class. Especially noteworthy was the set, a rolling interior of a French estate that could be configured into multiple settings.

In a Commedia dell'Arte tour de force, "The Imaginary Invalid" rejuvenated the period style and provided for a "sickeningly" good night of comedy.

 

 

 

 

 

 Webmeister dlmarsh3@juno.com