Tragedy reimagined at CVCHS

The Clayton Valley drama program put on their annual fall play on Nov. 7-9 inside the school’s Multi-Use Room. The show featured over 21 people including all the drama and tech crew. They worked diligently to put together a spectacular performance of “Eurydice,” by Sarah Ruhl. 

In the past, the drama team has put on productions such as Chicago and Peter and the Star-Catcher. Every year the drama department at CVCHS puts on two shows, one in the fall and one in the spring.

This fall’s performance had seven cast members and one understudy. So, this show would probably be considered a small cast. The names of the characters are Orpheus (played by Jamaur Santos), Eurydice (Sylvie Remigio), Father (Cyrus Aleali), Man/Child (Corwin Whitehead), Big Stone (Lily Gold), Loud Stone (Finn Hoschouer) and Little Stone (Caitlyn Mehl).

“It is a modern retelling of the Greek story about Orpheus and Eurydice, but told from her perspective,” Elizabeth Emigh, the choir teacher and drama director, said.

The play follows the story of Eurydice and her love with Orpheus. When Eurydice died, Orpheus was so distraught and he played such sad songs, he was told to go into the Underworld to get Eurydice back.

The cast of "Eurydice", from left to right: Caitlyn Mehl, Cyrus Aleali, Finn Hoschouer, Sylvie Remigio, Lily Gold. (Photo courtesy of Clayton Valley drama department)

One of the main strengths of the drama program is how welcoming their community is. 

“The best part about being in the drama program is rehearsing and getting food with my friends,“ Mehl, the sophomore that plays Little Stone, said. 

When everyone is so close with one another they have better chemistry on set. Not only do they put the production together for the audience, but they also do it because it’s fun and exciting to be on stage.

Clayton Valley’s Tech Crew was also a big part of what made the show so great. 

Rai Diaz, a senior stage manager for CV’s Tech Crew said, “Tech wise, we’re in charge of lighting, sound, and deck. So, we will build the set, figure out props, program the lighting, fix sound, and just do whatever we can to make sure the actors look good.”

The Tech Crew had 13 members covering the show. They are led by director Sunny Shergill, and are a very hard working group of individuals. They were a vital part in making “Eurydice” so successful and visually pleasing.

The set that the tech crew made had props, lighting, and sound. All their hard work made the play more realistic and enjoyable than it would have been without it. They all made the play come to life and feel like a true production. Without the Tech Crew, the actors would not have looked as good, and the play wouldn’t have been nearly as good.

Both the drama program and Tech Crew put countless hours into making this show so enjoyable for all that watched. They were always getting to school early, or staying after to practice for their performances.

In the end, together these programs make a spectacular show. It brought the audience together and was the perfect blend of humor, happiness and sadness. Which made it such an interesting play to watch.