For Love of the Stage: Debating the Life of an Actress

Before the show even started, the auditorium was full of appreciative murmurs. “Have you ever seen anything like it?” “That’s quite a piece of work!” “Incredible.”

Those remarks were well-earned; the set of latest play, , is likely the most impressive set I’ve seen on a high school stage. The play is set in a 1950s boarding house for actresses in New York, and a two-level house graced the stage, complete with a rounded staircase, that went two rooms deep on the first floor and hallways of bedrooms on the second.

For three performances this past weekend, the boarding house fluttered with comedic activity worthy of sorority row. Scenes were complete with gossip, bad dates, a walk of shame, heart-to-heart chats in pajamas and barely concealed snide remarks.

Any house full of women is bound to be an emotional roller coaster, but these ladies had double the ride because each girl is living her life in the theater. The whirlwind of auditions, being hired then fired, or hired only to have the show close early is a drama the Chantilly actresses clearly understand and act convincingly.

The crux of the play and a theme that I imagine would hit home for much of the cast is the debate between struggling to make a living on the stage or transferring your talent to the silver screen. Heroine Terry Randall, played by Amanda Miesner, passed up the opportunity to work in Hollywood twice for love of the stage, while first her best friend and then her boyfriend left her to pursue successful careers in moving pictures.  

During her numerous fights with boyfriend Keith Burgess, played by Matt Tillman, Randall’s passionate arguments for the art of stage-acting felt genuine. It was hard to ignore the irony of Miesner herself, on stage and acting in such a way that brought luminosity and new depth to the debate that words alone could not have done.

You may see differing opinions though, as I was hardly the only critic in attendance. Stage Door is Chantilly’s choice for their annual Cappie show, during which they invite student critics to attend and review the show. Each year, high school theater and journalism students participate in The Cappies, or Critics and Awards Program. According to The Cappie website, the students “are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers like The Washington Post.”

This year, 94 Cappie Critics were in attendance, said Kelly Johnson, a Drama Boosters member. “That’s WAY more than we have ever had attend a Cappie show in the past.”

The Stage Door cast and crew may be awarded beyond the standing ovations they received over the weekend. In June, student critics will vote for awards, and the Cappies culminate in a gala awards ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.