Students Present ‘Waiting Station’ At Bronxville High School

BRONXVILLE, NY — A group of Bronxville High School students produced “Waiting Station” as the first student-run play in the school’s history.

The one-act, 30-minute play, written by award-winning playwright, poet and Bronxville teacher Franco D’Alessandro, explores the complexities of broken relationships.

It was presented to the community Feb. 11-12.

D’Alessandro said “Waiting Station" had its premiere Off-Broadway in June 2001, and even 21 years later, he said it was humbling to think that it still resonates with audiences.

“I was honored when the students approached me, and I was equally delighted when they resurrected the idea this year," he said. "It is a strange play, one of my forays into the deeply psychological world of absurdism that a good part of my work explores.”

The play was directed by senior Olivia Cevasco and produced by Elizabeth Burnell, Eliza Brennan, Grace Gramins and Maggie Krieg. The students were also supported by a team of three assistant directors, 10 crew members and eight actors.

Cevasco said the first time she read the script she was immediately drawn to the absurdism and introspection was excited by the challenge the story presented.

" 'Waiting Station’ has two characters, Friend and Stranger, but we wanted to accommodate eight very talented actors in this production, so we reimagined the presentation of the story and divided the script into four smaller scenes with different actors portraying Friend and Stranger in each scene," she said. "This enabled us to illuminate the different personalities of each character and their progression throughout the story.”

Following the first performance, the audience participated in a Q&A session with Cevasco and D’Alessandro on stage.

“It was inspiring to have the opportunity to converse directly with the playwright and audience about the production, and it was something that many of us have never done before,” Cevasco said. “It was an amazing opportunity to work with Bronxville’s tight-knit theater community to create such a compelling production that left the audience deep in thought.”

All proceeds from the production were donated to the Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center in Yonkers.