Back to the future: Standing Ovation draws laughs with black box show
Lola (sophomore Isabella Keaton) and Barry (senior Jordan Warren) dine in an 80s atmosphere with a nefarious waitress (senior Makya Harris).
February 17, 2017
For their second show of the year, NC Standing Ovation presented That’s Not How I Remember It by Don Zolidis in the black box theater on February 15 and 16.
The short comedy, told in contrasting flashbacks, follows a mother (senior Kat Shambaugh), Lola, and father (senior Alex Klinkert), Barry, as they recount the story of their first date. Young Lola (sophomore Isabella Keaton) lives in a perfect 1980s romance film while flashback Barry (senior Jordan Warren) shows off through an action-filled karate flick. The contrasting viewpoints lead to comedic recreations pulled off by the characters.
“I read this show and I couldn’t stop laughing. Everything is very realistic and it brings me back to my time in the 80s,” director and drama teacher Candice Corcoran said.
As a complete change from the previous tragedy, The Diviners, That’s Not How I Remember It gave NC students a chance to practice comedic theater. The show required perfect timing, over-the-top acting, and even fight scenes to woo the audience.
“Because The Diviners was such a hard topic, rehearsals weren’t as do-as-you-please as for this show. Doing a comedy and having everything be funny means that you as an actor are free to push the limits and improvise a little more,” Keaton said.
Setting a show in the 1980s provides an interesting challenge for costumes and makeup. Every character needed to look wild, from their huge 80s hair to the tips of their Keds.
“Doing makeup was really fun because I got to try a lot of new experiments with makeup that I don’t normally get to do like with bright colors and glitter, which I normally stay away from,” makeup artist and junior Ethan Wilson said.
Junior Jordan Hicks, sophomore Isabella Keaton, sophomore Skylar Powell. and senior Selina Abbott play Lola, her parents, and the foreign exchange student Yann. The show required heavy 80s costumes and makeup with pastels and neon to create the right atmosphere.
NC’s tech department added to the show with a flair of their own. Incorporating snippets of classic 80s songs like “Danger Zone,” “Kung Fu Fighting,” and “Take On Me,” as well as highlighting the actors with colored lights, the technical crew encapsulated the time period. Stage manager and senior Aladdin Ysman led his crew to transform the black box theater into an 80s paradise with old lockers and wall decorations.
“Because this show is in our black box we got to make sure that all of our techs and actors were transformed into a closed environment, and let them know that even if we don’t have a theater, we can still put on a wonderful show and stay positive,” Ysman said.
