August Moon Shines on Murphy Middle School
0 Ratings / 0 Comments
August Moon Shines on MurphyMiddle School
Paper lanterns, wooden sandals, cricket cages, chopsticks, teahouses . . . and Geisha girls! All these images filled the MurphyMiddle School stage as the award winning Murphy theatre department presented the renowned play, The Teahouse of the August Moon, by John Patrick on March 7th. For the third straight year, Murphy won first place in the PISD Middle School One Act Play competition held at Plano East Sr. High on March 1st. The cast and crew were praised for the strength of their ensemble performance with several students winning individual awards including: Christopher Sicking—Best Actor; William Allred and Tahirah Henderson—All Star cast; Hannah Martin and Kent VanDover—Honorable Mention; KC Nwora—Outstanding Technician.Tackling a production like Teahouse was no easy task but producing the classics is the type of challenge the Murphy Theatre students have come to relish. Having won the two previous years with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Moliere’s Tartuffe, this year’s accomplishment may have topped them all. The play transports the audience back in time to the end of World War II and to the far away place and culture of Okinawa. The cast of twenty-five actors brought the colorful island culture to life with a brilliant display of physical acting, which crafted sharp stage pictures, scene and costume changes, and an amazing mastery of the Japanese language.
The most breathtaking scene of the play occurs when the teahouse, the cultural epicenter of the Okinawan way of life, appears fully constructed with the villagers aglow in the resplendent glory of their colorful kimonos. Mrs. Fenton commented, “The students accepted the challenge of this difficult play and far exceeded my expectations. To see their growth as actors is the greatest reward.”
Cast and crew include the following
Sakini – Christopher Sicking Captain Fisby – William Allred Colonel Purdy – Jacob Svidlow Miss Higa Jiga - Tahirah Henderson Lotus Blossom – Hannah Martin Captain McLean – Kent VanDover Gregovich – Garrett Foster Mr. Hokaida - Jason Nguyen Mrs. Oshira – Helen Butcher Mr. Omura – Yemi Adewuyi Mr. Seiko – Blake Edwards Mr. Sumata – Diego Barcelo Mr. Keora - Will McEowen Villagers – Alyssa Van Hooser, Molly Mann, Katelyn Garrett, Jake Wikander, Caitlin Giorgio, Anna Shapavalova, Sarah Pillars, Krista Alba,Scout Creson, Bria Gladney, Hannah Belnap,
Director – Judy Fenton Tech. director – Rosalie Hull Stage Manager – KC Nwora Asst. Stage manager - Emily Johnson Crew - Breann Davis Lights - Austin Albright Follow spot – Kyle Yuan Sound - Jared Tatman
