As students stroll back into school after winter break, everyone has something new to look forward to. For Juniors, their minds are plagued with anxieties of taking the SAT this semester, soccer players are ready to begin training for their season, and the AH Players are ready to jump back into rehearsals for their winter play. However, within the first week back, the stage lights were dimmed as director Eric Jones broke the news that their upcoming play, Tribes, was to be cancelled by the school board.
Mr. Jones is new to Hastings High School, taking the place of former theatre director Mr. Zahradnik who had been a part of the Hastings family for a decade. As expected, a new director brought forth new changes. For what is assumed to be the first time in the school’s history, Troupe 1446 was set to put on the original play, Tribes, written by Mr. Jones himself. The dystopian play takes place in the far future and surrounds a girls choir group as they are questioned in their possible involvement in a recent bombing. Each of the choir girls has a diverse ethnic and religious background which is touched on throughout the play, and ultimately, it was the discussions of prejudice and stereotypes that scared the school board into shutting down the production.
Mr. Jones pleaded his case in order to continue moving forward with the show’s production, but the school board’s fear of backlash put a halt to everything. Higher ups were anxious that parents would view the subject matter and cause an uproar, possibly leading to the local news getting involved. While that may be up to debate, the decision was final: Tribes would be cancelled.
Students in the Theatre Tech class expressed confusion and disappointment at the news, as they too had played a big role in the production of the play. Much like any other play, the techies had spent weeks tirelessly building, painting, and drilling set pieces. Tribes was especially time consuming as the main set piece was a mural of a stained glass window which required painting several individual squares. Even after the cancellation of the play, students continued with their painting, wanting to see the finished product they had worked so hard on.
Techies are often overlooked in the world of theatre as they tend to shine behind the curtains. While the job description seems simple enough, actors would not have a show without the hard work of 6th period’s tech class. Students in the class are divided into groups where they focus on one specific task. Most of the boys in class can be found in the workshop sawing and drilling the period away, while the girls are divided into painting, prop, or costume duties. The workload is hard at times, but outsiders would never know it as the students have formed strong friendships during their time in class.
Despite the cancellation of this year’s winter play, all students involved in its creation pushed through to make the most of the situation. And while it took days to complete, the tech students finished their mural and are now onto the next thing: this year’s UIL One Act Play. There is no real break time in between shows as everything moves fast in the world of theatre. But isn’t that what show business is all about in the end?
