The Drama Studio
41 Oakland Street, Springfield MA
www.dramastudio.org
What Would Prudence Do?
December 5-13, 2009
Reviewed by Donna Bailey-Thompson
Bottom line? A delightful breath of theatrical fresh air.
A free-wheeling adaptation of a Greek chorus, timed to NASA split-second
specifications, opened the world premiere of The Drama Studio's
student-written original play, What Would Prudence Do?
The academic descendants of Prudence, founder of a proper female academy,
the arbiter of all that's appropriate, have adjusted to the times that are a'changin'
by admitting a student of the male gender persuasion into the historic
bastion of an all-girls school. Miss Agnes DuPlore (Olivia Opal) every inch
a headmistress, from her blonde wig to her tailored shoes, impresses upon
the students the clichés about integrity, pride, duty, school spirit, et
cetera, that will continue regardless of the new student's arrival. However,
the girls subject Lenny (Jameson Kapinos, playwright*) to hazing that swings
between piercing stares and inspiration from studying The Scarlet Letter: to
eliminate confusion at the bathrooms, Lenny is to take the scarlet B (for
Boy) (ick) he wears around his neck and hang it on the outside of a bathroom
doorknob when he uses the facility.
With the energy of a Grease minus any glossy filler, the playwrights*
honored their tight script with fine performances: petty rivalries between
Kassidy (Kristin Reeves*) and Mac (Rach Mahoney*); timid Charlotte (Tessa
Andrekus*) who never dared to be different; smart Lucy (Cori
Stenning-Barnes*); peacemaker Bridget (Sara Berliner*); over-reactive
Frances (Rachel Moore*); over-zealous reporter Elizabeth (Rachel Gallagher*)
and the comic timing of Melanie (Sarah Etkin*).
They all excelled at blackouts - action freezing, as if in mid-air, when the
spotlight brought to life a different duo already deep in conversation, only
to leave them high and dry as the spot picked up another mini-scene, lasting
only seconds to a few minutes (kudos to Follow Spot Techies Peter
Paleologopoulos and Seth Olsen). Every inch of the three-quarter round stage
was used as well as a bay window and a second floor alcove.
Actors-in-training did themselves and the Drama Studio faculty proud,
especially directors Amelia Hays-Rivest and Steve Hays.
In the playbill Faculty/Director Notes, Hays-Rivest describes how What Would
Prudence Do? came to be. In "our scene study class...we realized we had nine
actors who were also writers and a fantastic ensemble. We decided to shoot
for a full play. ...Our scene study 9 started writing, improvising, and
breathing this new project, and created their characters, a whole school,
Prudence history, and a new sport to boot....We needed an opposing team. We
held auditions and tripled our cast."
And more than tripled the excitement. The new sport, Ultimate Dodge Ball, is
astounding - intricate, super-fast choreography, in a league with the movies
most involved sword fights. The coda revised the opening scene, including a
return of the unique Greek chorus, only this time the headmistress intoned
the Prudence Academy happy summer vacation spiel.
What Would Prudence Do? Without a dedicated, high caliber cast and crew,
Prudence would not dare do it. The company demonstrated they have a
foundation in Technical Chops 101 because this play demands experience that
distinguishes the untutored from the skilled. The problem with this polished
production is its limited run denied audiences from enjoying a play that
kicked hackneyed into a cocked hat.
Upcoming events at the Drama Studio include their annual Winter Shorts
Festival, January 29 through February 7, 2010
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