Thespians prepared for hours upon hours for the moment the auditorium curtains opened last Friday for the fall play titled Just Another High School Play.

Senior Olivia Bullock, stage manager and Thespians president, described the play as being entirely unique for its humorous and chaotic structure. Just Another High School Play presented the opportunity for the cast to make it completely specific to GHS and the surrounding community.

“This play offers a lot of personalization. We get to use the real names of surrounding towns and real staff and cast members’ names. Just Another High School Play is a quirky comedy about high school students throwing a last-minute show together after their director leaves town. We have stuck with a lot of classic, more serious plays in the past, so this is a good contrast to those,” Bullock said.

The play was not only funny but also kept the audience engaged with its ever-changing, haphazard scenes executed with a casual approach.

“The play is very interesting. It is kind of a big combination of scenes that sort of make up a plot but not really. It is pretty funny and supposed to be 100 percent comedy. The audience might be a bit confused by how casual it seems. It is very chill and calm compared to a super serious show,” senior Emily Loper, student director and Thespians vice president, said.

The overall consistent characteristic of Just Another High School Play was its humor.

“The fall play is honestly so funny; I love it. Something unique about the play is how much improv is in it. I think that the humor will definitely stand out in the play,” sophomore Sophia Huerta said.

Senior Emma Kraus agreed the play stood out considering its unique character roles and fun approach to the order of the different scenes.

“The fall play is chaotic but fun. It’s a bunch of small bootleg plays all put into a bigger play. Our drama teacher is actually in one of our scenes. I think what will stand out is how creative the cast is and how much we have put into the play,” Kraus said.

Mrs. Jennifer Simms stepped into the role of director this year. Her previous experience in theater has made a positive impact on the play’s production.

“Mrs. Simms has a lot of acting experience herself. She had us learn our lines within two weeks and almost every rehearsal since then has been off-book. This has made us learn our lines so much better so we can work on adding characterization. She has our actual lines be an afterthought and our acting and characters as the focus,” Bullock said.

Mrs. Simms is also genuine in her new leadership position.

“She loves to do extra funny stuff. Considering she is an actress herself, she always wants us to have fun. She works so hard to make kids comfortable with their schedules or parts,” freshman Alex Xochitecatl said.

The cast of Just Another High School Play was composed of students who have all worked together despite other commitments and activities.

“We have a cast full of people from different backgrounds. Some are in choir, some are in band, and some are in neither. It is pretty cool to meet new people and make friends. It is super rewarding to see how people have grown in their roles,” Loper said.

Despite this being Xochitecatl’s first year, he already noticed the sincere bond the group shares.

“This is my freshman year, but I can definitely tell there is a lot of experienced actors in the cast. When someone has to communicate with another person, they build chemistry. They help each other know how they are going to act, what their movements should look like, and things like that. Some people may only come to see the play just because. But others will look at the cast and look how much effort they put into the play and how much fun they are having while doing it,” Xochitecatl said.s

The show’s success was possible due to the effort that the cast put forth to create something entirely new and original.

“The cast works really great together. It is like one big family. We all get along and are always talking and cracking jokes backstage. We have natural chemistry with each other which translates well on the stage. I believe that the performances will be the most rewarding thing. Finally after months of learning a lot of lines, being able to put on a show for people is very gratifying,” Bullock said.