George Orwell’s renowned dystopian novel Animal Farm has swept the stage in the theater adaptation by Ian Wooldridge. However, its inspiration comes from the Honors English II unit surrounding the author’s work.
The SJHHS Stallion Theatre Company chose the play to align with a topic the sophomores would take a deeper interest in, watching the events of the book they finished just days before unfold in real time.
This event has not been held since Romeo and Juliet was brought to the stage before COVID years. The theater students presented a modified version of the play to their fellow peers during school hours, giving life to the allegorical counterparts of significant Russian Revolution figures.
Sophomore Emma Walley, having read the novel two years in a row, expressed her appreciation for a new outlook on the story.
“It just felt more immersive. In some scenes they were talking to the audience and it felt like ‘oh, I’m an animal in this case. I’m part of the situation,’” said Walley.
Captured perfectly by the words of Walley, the English classes were made to be a part of the production. Along with the engagement of the actors with the audience, the sophomores were tasked with creating propaganda posters to promote the play, some of which were hung in the halls of the theater.
An immense amount of hard work was put into the production from the actors to the crew behind the curtains.
Freshman Anya Penn-Loya contributed to her first high school show by assisting the hair and makeup team.
“It definitely made me appreciate how much tech brings to the [play]. It can make or break a show,” said Penn-Loya.
Not only did the costume department deliver stunning outfits, but the lighting team also played a huge part with the symbolic positioning and placing the focus on different characters.
Katelynne North, a junior adept in the workings of the lighting panel, was overjoyed to be included in Animal Farm.
“It’s just so fun being around people who love doing [it]. We basically make sure everything in every scene is fine with lighting,” said North.
As a darker story with several defining moments, the lighting would dim, brighten, and shine on the speaker, creating a feeling of different weather patterns or emotions, and overall an intense and exciting mood.
“For example in general scenes we would have the whole stage lit up. [For] Napoleon’s speech, we had the dogs in the shot…and we had Napoleon right in the center with the bright light on him and everyone else fading in the background,” said North.
Every second was well thought out and thoroughly rehearsed in order to transfer the audience to the world of Animal Farm. The SJHHS Stallion Theatre Company dazzled their peers with the product of their various talents and hours of practice.
