Off-Broadway Play Captivates Theater Class

Theater students observed professional actors at the Cherry Lane Theater. Photo Credit: Flickr

By MARAM ALAMRI

Break a leg, Hornets! Midwood’s Spring Theater Production Class traveled to Manhattan February 12 to see the off-broadway show God Said This. 

The play’s story chronicles the experience of a dysfunctional family -- two sisters, thier mother, and a formerly alcoholic father -- reuniting to deal with the mother’s cancer. During the show, the family also settles past disputes between one of the sisters and the father. Students called the story “amazing” and “relatable.”

A friend of mine who teaches at a different high school had planned this trip,” said Ms. Elizabeth Bommarito, “and at the last minute, they were having a guest at their building, so the principal didn’t want them to leave. Then she called me and asked if I could take the trip from her at the last minute. She’s aware that I teach drama, so she figured it was something I could do with my classes.”

The production was at the Cherry Lane Theater, which the class reached by taking the subway to West 4th St. During the train ride, the class sang tracks from the musical In the Heights, which they will be performing in May. 

“I thought it would be a good opportunity for the students to see people acting on stage,” said Ms. Bommarito. “As a theater production class, we are going to be on stage and acting. So I think it’s fundamental that they see it for themselves instead of trying to learn from amateur student productions. It is important to see professional actors.”

While the class was intrigued by the production, they were also able to learn another lesson from the play. 

“I learned that you have to meet people where they are instead of trying to force them to change into what you want them to be,” said Anecia Henry ’19. “It’s also important to be considerate and understanding of people’s ‘love language’ in order to better understand them and connect with them.”

Asaru Wahls ’19 also said, “It’s important to be aware of how others express their love. It may not be the same as how you do it, but that doesn’t mean that the love isn’t there.”

The theater trips are not finished yet. Next up, Ms. Bommarito’s classes will be traveling to see the Broadway show King Kong on March 13.