Zachary V. (11) and William N. (11) directed a play, “Family 2.0”, for their Honors Advanced Theater Arts class today after school. The Blue and Gold interviewed Zach about his experiences directing and acting.
       
B&G: What is the main plot of “Family 2.0”?
Zach: The performance I’m directing is an absurdist comedic piece set up as a 1960’s sitcom with laugh tracks and fake audience sound effects. It is centered [on] a man who is tired of the monotony of everyday life so he decides to enter a stranger’s home and proclaim that he is the new head of the household. All the other characters in the piece are family members reacting to this strange man and trying to figure out why he’s in their house. Eventually, as the family comes to realize this man is better than the previous head of the house, they start to accept him as the new father. After this, he begins to realize his new situation is no better than his previous one and ends up being as unhappy as he was in his previous life.
B&G: What’s the funniest thing that has happened during practice?
Z: At one point while experimenting with different comedic lines I told Neha and Munir to speak in Indian accents, but only when talking to each other. So they began interacting with other characters with their normal accents but exclusively talking to each other in Indian accents. It was hysterical so I decided to keep it in and it created some of the funniest moments in the piece.
B&G: What has your experience of directing this play been like?
Z: It’s been very educational and challenging. Interacting with your peers and friends while still keeping the dominant role as the director is hard especially when that role is shared with another friend. It was hard to keep their attention and to keep them from goofing off at times, but in general I really enjoyed the rehearsal process. Seeing the play develop and seeing the actors improve their characterization as the play progressed was exciting and informative. I think if I direct anything else in the future this experience will be invaluable.
B&G: When did you first become interested in theater?
Z: When I was in middle school I found that I had nothing to do during the first half of the year and that many of my friends where in the musical the previous year. So in 8th grade I tried out acting, discovered how fun it was, and have been enjoying it ever since.
B&G: How has being involved in theater affected your life?
Z: Becoming fully immersed in the theatre community… has been really time consuming, but I have gained so much from the experiences that I honestly wouldn’t rather have been anywhere else. I learned a lot about myself and gained my closest friends after joining the theatre community and taking part in the performances. Acting is by far my favorite emotional outlet and I find that the theatre community is incredibly accepting and friendly. Ultimately, theatre has had an immense positive impact on my confidence as a person and on my life in general.
B&G: Is theater something you are planning to continue pursuing in the future?
Z: I will certainly pursue theatre to some extent in the future. The problem I would have with pursuing it as a full career is the competitive nature of acting. It is very hard to get a job as an actor in most parts of the world and a lot of times directors are looking for people who can act on top of the fact that they look exactly like the character should. I may or may not try a career in acting but I do intend to continue it as a pass time in college.