By Jocelyn Tolpin ’17, Staff Writer

“I have conceived a great plan,” were the words of the protagonist Pithetaerus (Harry Echtman’18) as he came up with the idea to build a city for birds. Recently, the Middle School has put up a production of “The Birds” directed by Mrs. Brodie. The play was about two men, Pithetaerus and his best friend Euelpides (Erin Viola’16), who traveled from Athens to meet the king of the birds to found a city for birds and have them be rulers of the universe.

After a fun audition, the roles were assigned and the cast and crew got to work. As the weeks went along, Mrs. Brodie worked with different people to get them into their character so that they could really understand who they were portraying. Soyi Sarkar, a seventh grade bird and a messenger to the king (Epops) said, “One of my favorite rehearsals was towards the beginning when we started by establishing what type of bird we were and our bird call. Mine was Wia Wia Wia Wia Wia and I was a hummingbird.”

As the rehearsals continued they began to focus more on the acting. For example, some rehearsals were dedicated to one on ones with the upper school crew to help the actors understand their character’s objectives in each of their lines. Soon the play began piecing itself together. Mr. Huber worked on the set design and created a backdrop of clouds and rocks on the stage that were used during the play. Natalie Sonkin in the sixth grade who plays Procne said, “I think the set is beautiful. It really has some of the characteristics of the play in it.” The costume designers were Clara Mooney and Erin Mooney. Anne Ruble, a bird, said, “I love the bird costumes. The masks are so pretty. They are each unique in their own way. Mine is teal with blue feather. It’s very unique and stylish. I love Epops (Gabi Poisson’17)’s mask.”

When the lighting crew completed its work the play began to look as a whole. All the characters’ lines were memorized, the set was almost finished, and the costumes were fantastic. Then it was time for one of the most fun rehearsals during the process: over-the-top day. The day when you break all boundaries of acting and get so into your character that it’s too much. The day when you are the craziest or spookiest or dumbest or the most dramatic one could possibly be. Sanya Bery, the seventh grade captain of the Birds said, “I love over-the-top day. It’s my favorite rehearsal. You pretty much take those characteristics of your character and expand it. It’s basically just a silly, fun day.” At the beginning of over-the-top day, Mrs. Brodie said to the cast, “Today is a day to blow up, expand. Learn new things about your character.” Over-the-top day was a success, it was better than any other time we ran the play and almost every single character was told to do their part the way they did it during that rehearsal.

The play was finally ready. The acting was wonderful, the costumes were ideal for the image the play was trying to convey, and the set design was perfect. Then finally, the day came. Showtime! During the preshow psych-up the cast and crew held hands in a circle while Mrs. Brodie gave a pep talk to settle the rising nerves. Durga Srivatsan, a sixth grade bird and a messenger to the king said, “I think the preshow ritual is a little crazy but I think it’s a fun way to get together with your cast and see how far we’ve come.” After this ritual, everyone involved was truly ready. The performance was exceptional. The cast really got into their roles and the audience seemed to enjoy it very much. When it was time to bow, the applause filled the room. Here’s to another successful production by the Middle School.