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Middletown, Del. —
When Alexis Short gets married on Appoquinimink High School’s stage Nov. 17, she will be wearing her grandmother’s wedding dress.
But the high school senior won’t be tying the knot for real.
Short was cast to play Kay Banks, one of the lead roles in Appoquinimink High School’s fall play, “Father of the Bride,” a romantic comedy set in the late 1950’s that follows the struggle of the Banks family through their only daughter’s engagement.
The show follows how the upper-middle class family, mainly the father, struggles to accept Kay’s engagement up until the actual wedding, said Elise Knable, Appoquinimink High School’s design teacher and theater director.
Usually a shy, quiet girl, Short said that hardest part about her role was being able to yell and get super angry.
Her character frequently goes head to head with her father, played by sophomore Ben Janocha, over plans for the wedding; mainly how many people will be invited to the reception.
“I’m usually quiet,” Short said. “But when I get angry for real, I take not of what I did.”
Janocha and senior Courtney Norris, who plays Mrs. Banks, had a different feat to accomplish while preparing for their roles.
“What’s been fun is trying to teach the kids how to be parents in the show,” Knable said.
The 21 theater students on cast have been working since September to develop their characters, which has been a key part of making the play successful.
“There are heart touching moments that anyone with children can relate to,”
Knable said. “It’s funny and heartfelt.”
The show relies even on characters in the smallest roles to thrive.
For the character of Massoula, the eccentric foreign wedding planner, senior Henita Telo learned how to roll her R’s.
“We’re making her like Fez from ‘That ‘70’s Show,” Knable said. “You don’t know where she’s from, just that she’s foreign. She’s the comedy relief in the second act.”
Wearing a leopard print jacket and a rainbow colored hat, Telo walked onto stage during dress rehearsal as if her role has always been second nature to her.
“It’s something spicy,” she said. “The best part has been just dressing up and being engaged in the process.”
The cast and about a dozen students who work as crew have become like a family, several said.
When Alexis Short gets married on Appoquinimink High School’s stage Nov. 17, she will be wearing her grandmother’s wedding dress.
But the high school senior won’t be tying the knot for real.
Short was cast to play Kay Banks, one of the lead roles in Appoquinimink High School’s fall play, “Father of the Bride,” a romantic comedy set in the late 1950’s that follows the struggle of the Banks family through their only daughter’s engagement.
The show follows how the upper-middle class family, mainly the father, struggles to accept Kay’s engagement up until the actual wedding, said Elise Knable, Appoquinimink High School’s design teacher and theater director.
Usually a shy, quiet girl, Short said that hardest part about her role was being able to yell and get super angry.
Her character frequently goes head to head with her father, played by sophomore Ben Janocha, over plans for the wedding; mainly how many people will be invited to the reception.
“I’m usually quiet,” Short said. “But when I get angry for real, I take not of what I did.”
Janocha and senior Courtney Norris, who plays Mrs. Banks, had a different feat to accomplish while preparing for their roles.
“What’s been fun is trying to teach the kids how to be parents in the show,” Knable said.
The 21 theater students on cast have been working since September to develop their characters, which has been a key part of making the play successful.
“There are heart touching moments that anyone with children can relate to,”
Knable said. “It’s funny and heartfelt.”
The show relies even on characters in the smallest roles to thrive.
For the character of Massoula, the eccentric foreign wedding planner, senior Henita Telo learned how to roll her R’s.
“We’re making her like Fez from ‘That ‘70’s Show,” Knable said. “You don’t know where she’s from, just that she’s foreign. She’s the comedy relief in the second act.”
Wearing a leopard print jacket and a rainbow colored hat, Telo walked onto stage during dress rehearsal as if her role has always been second nature to her.
“It’s something spicy,” she said. “The best part has been just dressing up and being engaged in the process.”
The cast and about a dozen students who work as crew have become like a family, several said.
“It’s nice to have a family backstage and on stage,” Norris said.
Sophomore Emily Stecher plays Tommy Banks, Kay’s 15-year-old brother.
Wearing a wig and oversized boys’ clothes, the petite girl slouches into a chair on stage for several acts.
“It’s my first time playing a boy,” she said. “My character’s a rebel, relaxed. It just flows.”
The wig itches sometimes, but that doesn’t stop her from succeeding in her role.
“The best part is you can just turn into a different person on stage and all of the new friends,” she said. “It’s awesome.”
