The Student Newspaper of Lakeside School

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The Student Newspaper of Lakeside School

TATLER
The Student Newspaper of Lakeside School

TATLER
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Inside the tent: a preview of CIRCUS! 2024

Lael G. ’25 and Lorelei S. '25
Apr 30, 2024

TikTok and Instagram got your attention span (way, way) down? Can’t bear to sit through a full-length play or musical? Well then, CIRCUS! is the production for you! Close out the school year with a night of eight 15-minute plays — written, directed, and performed by students — that are filled to the brim with humor, liveliness, and poignance! To pique your interest, here are five short play previews, written by five of the directors, providing you with a few sneak peeks!

“Just Fantasy”
Written by Ellie W. ’24
Directed by Shobha B. ’24

What do you want potential audience members to know about your play?
“Just Fantasy” is a satirical comedy written by the lovely senior Ellie. It follows the story of Sam, who is obsessed with a fantasy romance show, and Rory, his potential love interest who might not be as interested as Sam thinks he is. It’s a story about how far delusion can go and how maybe we shouldn’t be watching as much TV as we are. This show is hilarious, campy, and just a ton of fun to watch and be a part of. The twists and turns as fantasy becomes reality give the play a great mix of dark and comedic tones.

Favorite moment/line of your play?
“I love you”
“What?”
“I love your shirt”
Also, all of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” moments!

Fun fact (or something) about your cast? What’s special about them?
They’re so much fun! They are so ready to go all into the show which makes them so easy and awesome to work with. I’m really excited for audiences to see them take on the show and just enjoy how hilarious and talented they are.

Elevator pitch: why should students come see this play?
Come see “Just Fantasy” to enjoy fantastic actors, fun fight sequences, and lots of laughter and reflection. And come see it alongside a ton of other amazing short plays!

 

“Ribs”
Written by Hannah Wong ’18
Directed by Janet D. ’25

What do you want potential audience members to know about your play?
It’s a spicy Adam and Eve retelling!

Favorite moment/line of your play?
“This is your truth, and your Paradise. It will never be mine.”

Fun fact (or something) about your cast? What’s special about them? What are their strengths?
THEY ARE SO SILLY GOOFY I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Elevator pitch: why should students come see this play?
That religion in and of itself isn’t corrupt; it’s people’s distortion of it that is.

 

“Infinite Monkeys”
Written by Sadie D.-S. ’24
Directed by Mason D. ’25

What do you want potential audience members to know about your play?
It’s written by Sadie D.-S. ’24, super fun, and has a twist! 🙂

Favorite moment/line of your play?
Any line by Win or Wheatie (the comedic duo).

Fun fact (or something) about your cast? What’s special about them? What are their strengths?
They’re super fun to work with! All of our rehearsals have been super light-hearted, and they all have amazing ideas for the play. It has felt like a super collaborative process, and I truly believe that the play is a result of nine different people’s unique ideas and creative vision!

Elevator pitch: why should students come see this play?
It’s a fun and dynamic play featuring seven talented actors, fun action music, lots of comedy, and a twist that lends itself to reflection about mental health and familial relationships!

 

“Motherly Love”
Written by Bee Alexander M. ’24
Directed by Kyle F. ’25

What do you want potential audience members to know about your play?
3D horror movie

Favorite moment/line of your play?
burger scene (iykyk)

Fun fact (or something) about your cast? What’s special about them?
One of my cast members claims that she will be the bacon escape speedrun world champ by the time we perform our play.

Elevator pitch: why should students come see this play?
We want to give you a kind of experience you’ve never had before!! we’re looking to make you laugh, cry(?), scream, and give you all a show you’ll never forget <3

 

“The Seven Sin-tillating Steps to Joy”
Written by Iris O. ’24
Directed by Lorelei S. ’25

What do you want potential audience members to know about your play?
It has a lot of subtext… but you’ll just have to see it to understand.

Favorite moment/line of your play?

“Maybe his sense of self-worth is tied to messaging throughout the years of feeling like he isn’t worth the money and time!!”

Fun fact (or something) about your cast? What’s special about them? What are their strengths?
I’m so lucky to be working with such a great group of people! They’re all underclassmen, and they give me so much faith in the future of the Lakeside drama program.

Elevator pitch: why should students come see this play?
Get ready to laugh, think deeply, and have a ton of fun seeing this play and all of the others!

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About the Contributors
Lael G. ’25
Lael G. ’25, Arts Editor
Lael is disillusioned.   Born May 29th, the universe stopped when Lael entered the world. Per her own recollection (which is “super sharp”), that day the sun shone brilliantly upon the Earth, babies stopped crying, depression was cured, and militants around the world were perplexed as their weapons began to melt into the ground.   Yet, nothing can last forever. For that moment of “Armistice Day all over again” was infinitesimal. Now, Lael spends her days tossing and turning, giving impassioned TED talks in her head, yearning to return the world to that state of bliss. Since elementary school at St. George -- “once a dragon, always a dragon” -- she’s been rallying the masses to her causes through her work in both the “state media apparatus” (the St. George gazette) and her own, underground student operation -- the deliciously subversive “Daily Whatever.”   In high school, her world-changing career in this field has only continued, whether she’s “Doing it for the Duwamish” in her club at school or in downtown Seattle, reporting in the field on student protests for gun control. “It hasn’t been easy,” she says, “I often think philosophically, about my own life and my place in it, and it’s a burden, the weight of it all, you know?” However, despite the heavy consequences of being an ethics bowl superstar, she gets by as Tatler’s faithful copy editor (with just a little help from GamePigeon and her pet cat, Juliet).
Lorelei S. '25
Lorelei S. '25, Multimedia Editor
By day, Lorelei is a committed humanities student and a lackluster STEM one who spends every free moment in the drama office and/or sipping a complimentary WCC chai. By afternoon, she can be found driving an hour to and from the barn where she rides horses, babysitting, or rehearsing for the Lakeside drama production of the moment. By night, she knits and tries to counter the negative stereotypes about Lakesiders' sleep schedules. Lorelei is passionate about almond croissants, YouTube video essay rabbit holes, and picking up new hobbies every week. She's currently on a side quest to visit a Seattle cafe for every letter of the alphabet. She absolutely loves writing... at least until she's required to do it (don't tell her section editors). Her Tatler claims to fame include making the Tatler room garland (it's the October 2021 issue) and creating acclaimed video series Coffee Break.