HHS Playhouse Presents....Up The Down Staircase

The members of the HHS Playhouse are excited to present the timeless classic Up The Down Staircase, based on the novel written by Bel Kaufman. Performances will be Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st at 7:00pm and Sunday, November 22nd at 2:00pm in the Harrison Performing Arts Center at Harrison High School. Tickets are $15 for adults are $15 and $10 for children, seniors, and students and may be purchased at the door or through www.myschoolbucks.com .

The play centers on Sylvia Barrett, an idealistic English teacher who has grand ideas of teaching her inner-city students about literature from the greatest writers. She soon becomes disenchanted with teaching when she finds herself mired by the bureaucracies of public education and the frustrations, apathy, and excitement of both her colleagues and students. Sylvia flirts with the idea of teaching in a private school setting but changes her mind when she sees how her work is influencing the lives of her students.

Up The Down Staircase, written in 1964, is as relevant today as it was when it was written over 50 years ago. The Harrison High School Playhouse has chosen to stage the play in current times but pays homage to the original time period with the influence of 1960’s music. This production is directed by Mario Deras, the HHS Playhouse’s club advisor, and both the cast and crew worked hard to create and decorate the set so that it reflects a familiar school environment. The play will be performed by a cast of thirty-four students and a tech crew of ten students.

Up The Down Staircase Cast Members are:

Jessica Alfieri

Natalia Galeano

Christopher Mora

Leslie An

David Gonzalez

Sabrina Narvesen

Jenniviv Bansah

Kyra Gurny

Laura Nikolla

Jennifer Bansah

Zogie Ighobor

Christina Padro

Spencer Barich

Connor Kelly

Alycia Pascual Pena

Christian Collazo

Cynthia Lambertson

Christine Prezioso

Katelyn Daher

Christina Ledesma

Elizabeth Ricci

Adriana Darcy

Angel Maldonado

Cyle Rockoff

Lianne Davidoff

Leila Mannel

Nadia Saghei

Nicholas Erb

Angie Martinetti

Samantha Saravia

Zachary Finn

Demetri McMullen

Keanu Valente

Jerome Francisco

Up The Down Staircase Crew Members are:

Massimo DeJesus

Sarah McKinsey

Jessica Prado

Julia Di Lorenzo

Morgan McNelly

Stephen Remsen

Paul Hirsh

George Miyajima

Darren Trippichio

Nicole Krgin