Imagine waking up inside a strange room and being experimented on. You don’t remember who you are and where you came from, the only thing you know is that you need to escape. Even at the cost of other’s lives.
From Oct. 11 to 13, Richland Northeast presented An Experiment, a play portraying five confused participants who have no recollection of their past lives and have only one word, a personality descriptor (compassionate, orderly, etc.). The doctors explain to them that each one of them is there willingly and that they will be compensated for their participation in the experiment. Once the experiment begins the participants realize that to lose means to die, forcing all five participants to do what they must in order to survive.
“It’s a one-act, kind of short, very high energy,” Charlotte Fletcher, fine arts teacher, said.
However, just because the play was shorter in duration didn’t mean that it was easy to make it come to fruition. In order to have a successful production, the cast members had to make many sacrifices.
“There were lots of lunch rehearsals, limited practice time for scenes that incorporated sound effects. I had to miss my lunchtime and practice quietly in class which proved to be difficult,” Becca Chojnacki, a senior playing the role of Compassionate, said.
Despite the difficulties felt by the cast, there was one actor that stood out, the former technical Stage Manager, Kayla English, who took on the role of the lead actor, Devious.
“She’s now done every single role to put on a production. Now that she’s the lead of the show it just elevates her theater experience and it’s been really great to watch her try this out,” Fletcher said.
This show was her first time performing on the stage, so there were many things that English was worried about. Oftentimes, many first time actors miss their lines, start talking too fast, start talking too slow or even freezing up.
“The thing I was most nervous about was messing up in front of everybody. I do know my lines but in the moment, in front of all those people that I couldn’t even see, I was scared that I’d freeze and wouldn’t be able to recover,” English said.
With her cast mates and directors cheering her on, English was able to feel confident in her role despite thoughts of doubt.
“It’s such a different perspective. I’m so used to operating where no one can see me, but now I’m always able to be seen. Every little movement and reaction is important. It’s definitely taken some getting used to because I do not like receiving a lot of attention, but I’m grateful with this cast and this show. It’s made it just a little bit easier to step out of my comfort zone,” English said.
