By: Liz Villa
On Friday, August 25th, Gainesville High School’s after school theatre program hosted their interest meeting to kick off the new school year.
There were many new students who attended the meeting and were interested in either shining in the spotlight or working behind the scenes to make the performances happen. Theatre Director, Mrs. Christine Maxted, has been the director of the productions here at GHS since the end of the 2021-2022 school year and has an abundance of experience when it comes to directing.
This year, Mrs. Maxted is directing the Shakespearean tragedy, “Macbeth,” in the fall, along with Monty Python’s, “Spamalot,” as the musical in the spring. Broadway Pops performances will also be held later this year, which are essentially performances of single songs, often from a musical, to show actors’ skills and vocals.
One act plays will take place this year as well, which will include “Little Women,” directed by Fatima Kamara and “The Game,” directed by Will Bell.
While “Macbeth” has already been cast, Auditions for “Spamalot” will take place at the end of December, with the performances being sometime in the spring.
Macbeth’s performance dates will be in mid-November, over two weekends, with six total shows. The closing show will be the crucial CAPPIES show.
CAPPIES is a program that mixes theatre and journalism and serves as an afterschool activity for qualifying students. If you are accepted onto the school team, you will travel to many different schools in the National Capital Area and go to shows for free, then write professional reviews on what you witnessed and the best reviews will be published in local newspapers.
The shows will be scored by the critics and possibly be nominated for awards at the CAPPIES Gala, which is held once a year at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
This is GHS’s second year being involved in CAPPIES, and is welcoming new critics onto the team, after saying goodbye to some graduates.
Gainesville’s theatre community is large and passionate, with visible excitement about the new school year. Mrs. Maxted welcomes new students as the after-school theatre program of the 2023-2024 school year begins.
