Oak Forest HS Theater Group to Present 'Up the Down Staircase'

Oak Forest High School theater audiences are in for a treat with the new fall comedy, Up the Down Staircase. The play will be performed on November 3, 4, and 5. Up the Down Staircase is the story of a new English teacher, Miss Sylvia Barrett, played by Senior Breanne Morrissey. She is so excited to walk into her empty classroom for the first time and write her name on the board, only to be confused as soon as her students start pouring into the classroom. She realizes she doesn’t understand their lingo and has a hard time with their challenging and testing behavior. She is buried by a mountain of paperwork, warnings, contradictory orders, and indecipherable instructions. Frantic, Sylvia begins to fear she doesn't even understand the language. An experienced teacher translates: "Keep on file in numerical order" means throw in the wastebasket. "Let it be a challenge" means you're stuck with it. "Interpersonal relationships" means a fight between kids. And "It has come to my attention" means you're in trouble. Soon Sylvia finds herself the most involved person in the school—involved in the start of a romance and in a near war with a discipline-over-everything administrator. Most of all, however, she is involved in the unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking problems of her students. In addition to Breanne Morrissey, the ensemble cast includes: Chris Jackowiak, Millicent McMahon, Jacob Kamper, Maddie McErlean, Ema Kester, Shaina Spinks, Kinsey Carrera, Breanna Horvath, Jordan Jones, Canyon Novick, Emily Marcheschi, Kylie Mikunas, Eian Tapia, Gillian Cate, Jamie Paclar, Alyssa Ryan, Molly Kiley, Doug Racine, Annais Gangolf, Joseph Carter, Teaghan Nowlan, Jill Norris, Kaylen Cooksey, Olivia Lugo, Alexis Chavez, and Alyssa Pacella. Tickets are available at the door are $6 for students and senior citizens and $8 for adults. The play is directed by OFHS teacher John Stevens and assisted by Victor Pazik. The technical director is Edgar Gonzalez-Baeza.