On the evening of October 30th, after closing night and an hour-long feelings circle that bubbled with laughter, gratitude, and, well, feels, the 2021 Lakeside Fall Play drew to an official end. Walking across Red Square at 10:30 p.m. with bundled flowers, lingering makeup, and the thought that “wow, this really is the end” felt infinite but nostalgic already. 

After more than a year of remote productions, the cast of fall play — The IT by Vivienne Franzman — had three successful live performances, a rewarding finish to two months of hard work. Although we “had some challenges,” as director Alban Dennis would say, rehearsing and performing in-person was a gratifying experience. This was the most normalcy many of us had experienced in a long time, from four-to-nine nightly rehearsals to takeout Mexican food that tended to explode in the car. The play is also quite funny at times, filled with Ed Sheeran songs, endangered vaquitas, and Anna Beauty’s handbags (#clutch #retrovibes #bringonthesummer). The Lakeside theater community was thrilled to be back together. By the end, we have made so many meaningful connections that it’s hard to imagine how many of us had never met before that first rehearsal. 

The IT was a poignant choice for our first on-stage production since March 2020. Though easily mistaken for an uncanny sci-fi horror story, the play was ultimately molded into a striking work of art that showed surprising capacity for resonance, discussion, and healing. The artistic team and theater production class did a terrific job crafting the stage designs. The set-up was minimalist, consisting of three thin, white sheets on stage left, center, and right. “There were so many creative uses of lights, props, and other media such as projectors, music, and other decorations,” writes Yoon L. ’23, “There were times, particularly at the climax, where The IT took on a modern performing art quality that had me enraptured. I loved the use of thin sheets to represent Grace’s anxiety bubbling up beneath her skin, perfectly mirroring the psychedelic narration that preceded and accompanied this part.” The cast and director also worked well together to tell a coherent and vibrant story. Beyond your typical teenage angst, the play embedded more serious and pertinent discussions of anxiety, depression, parental pressure, and more.

Our personal experiences with the production were positive. Although performing live with masks was challenging, we turned it into an artistic choice that strengthened the relevance of the play — by setting it in 2021. Having a live audience for the first time in over a year was incredible, as we were able to interact with them. Reactions from the audience increased confidence and energy levels, and performances were progressively better each night. It was a sometimes surreal experience, as we transcended beyond just students acting on stage and instead became immersed in telling the narrative. 

What brings it all together are the feelings of isolation that Grace Freemantle, the main character, experiences. Told by Grace and other students in an episodic, interview-like format, the play recounts how the “IT” — a supernatural entity that Grace feels festering inside her — grow and worsen more and more as Grace repeatedly suppresses her feelings of anxiety, stress, and loneliness, which ultimately led to “that day in PE” where Grace experiences an emotional explosion and roars. In addition, each student in the play finds a certain degree of resonance with Grace’s struggles in their own experiences. We see close relatability between the play and what all of us have been grappling with over the past year and a half: how the physical isolation of quarantine often led to emotional and social isolation as general mental health deterioration. The IT physicalized this pain of separation.

Although we faced minor technical difficulties — not uncommon for high school productions — the play ran relatively smoothly. Interestingly, the performance evoked a wide range of responses from the audience. We gained insight into viewers’ perspectives through interviews and anonymous responses from the Tatler Poll.