“And now, it’s time for the Cards of Fate!” Showgirl Cinnamon swivels a card around featuring the name of the show before smacking a high five with Buffy, the game show host, as she sweeps onto the stage in a sparkly gown.
“Hold!” said one of the five senior directors sitting in the front row of John Jay High School’s theater. “It’s amazing!” said the seniors. “The energy is great! Let’s try it with the sound cues.”
This is one of the secrets to John Jay High School Theater Workshop’s success. It starts with students directing students. Ninth graders feel supported and form friendships from the moment they sign up to be part of the Freshman Play. It also challenges seasoned actors to leadership roles, connecting everyone to the school’s theater community.
The show, “Cards of Fate,” runs Dec. 11 and 12 at John Jay High School’s Theater. Shows are 7 p.m. and $5 tickets are available at the door.
“I feel more confident being around people my own age,” said ninth grader Will Johnson, who plays one of the leads. “The seniors have a different way of directing.”
His classmate Davi Greenspan agrees, adding, “My sister is one of the directors. It’s fun to be together.”
Seniors Aya Greenspan, Tahlia Koenig, Marina Meineck, Oliver Pezone and Cade Schwark, assisted by junior Lily Mostero, slip easily into the director role because of the time they’ve put into their craft. They’ve also been mentored by teachers including Bill Friedman and Amanda Adamo, as well as other directors throughout their school years.
The senior directors describe their own Freshman Play as a stand-out experience—because of the senior directors.
“Our senior directors treated us as peers and their approach to directing was so different than anything I'd experienced before,” said senior director Aya. “It was casual and fun. Our relationships lasted beyond the play. We would go to them for advice about school, friends and life in general. We keep in touch to this day.”
“I've been looking forward to being a senior director since freshman year,” she said. “I've wanted to be as much as a mentor to these freshmen as my directors were to me.”
Senior director Cade, who has been in every production since his freshman year and plans to work with Dzieci, an experimental theater company based in Brooklyn, next year, highlights his personal growth through John Jay High School Theater Workshop.
“Our theater department and teachers have helped me tremendously,” he said. “Theater has helped me grow so much as a person, and I am forever grateful.”
After directors’ notes, the run through continues. “Make it amazing!” the seniors said to the freshmen as the lights dim.
