With the fall play season in session, Redwood High School’s production of It’s A Wonderful Life has already started. Although this show compares uniquely to previous years in both setting and format.
By: Greer Olson
On November 20th, 21st, and 22nd, Redwood High School’s theater department will be traveling back to the 1940s as they [students] put on a radio play production of It’s A Wonderful Life. The story follows a man named George, played by Conner West, ‘27, partly through the lens of his guardian Angel, Clarence – played by Liam Bradford, ‘25, as he experiences many hardships throughout his life.
Stacy Galvan, the director of It’s A Wonderful Life and the Drama teacher at Redwood, shares that it’s nice to step away from what she calls “spoofy fun” shows. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy doing those and that It’s A Wonderful Life isn’t fun, but she understands that most of her seniors haven’t been able to do a more serious show.
She says that they’ve already done this show in 2018, but that “COVID threw us [them] off our [their] groove” when talking about how she switched her show types after school was back in session.
Photo by N. Miller/Gigantea
But what makes this show different from other plays the theater department has performed, like Alice in Wonderland or The History of Dating, is that it takes place in a radio station. The set is a radio station, and the audience is told the story as if they were listening at home in the 1940s.
Galvan explains that “almost every sound effect is live” as well, up to 372 of them in fact. This includes doors shutting, footsteps on wood, and the nature-esque ambiance.
Galvan expresses that what she finds fun about the whole thing is experimenting. She likes watching her students take initiative and find solutions for themselves, whether that’s with a YouTube video or trial and error. Galvan says it’s fun to hear them figure things out and hear, “get in the prop closet and find crap and figure it out” as they work together.
Photo by N. Miller/Gigantea
Overall, she explains how she’s excited for the show. The tech part of it, setting up the stage to be more “cozy and intimate,” as she says, and the style of it all.
Not only is she eager about the show, but so is the cast. Susana Perez, ‘26, plays Mary Hatch in the play, this being her second year performing for the fall play. Perez expresses that she loves her character, describing her to be “soft spoken” and “very sweet”.
Perez also explains how she’s interested to see how everything falls together. Since she’s never done a show like this before, with the time period and a role where she plays both an actor and a character. She expresses that she just wants “it to look smooth” for the audience and also to feel easy-going for herself as well, but knows everything will go well no matter what.
Along with Susana, Conner West is also excited for his role as George. He explains how important his character is as this man who, as he says, is a man who “helped a bunch of people.” Not only that, but George, as a character, explores a more complex theme of feeling as though you aren’t worth anything. West says that it takes his guardian angel to show him what life would’ve been like for him to see his worth.
Beyond the acting, Lola Sullivan, ‘28, says, despite having fun with her role, she’s mostly looking forward to being on Foley which she explains to be the group of people in charge of all the sound effects for the show.
Sullivan also adds that she enjoys the story It’s A Wonderful Life, anyway and is happy she is “hanging out with friends”, sharing the experience with them.
Something Susana, Lola, and Conner can all share is their excitement for the costumes. Perez shares that she’s keen to see how everything comes together, “like hair, the makeup,” because of the time period in which it all takes place. Sullivan feels similarly, saying that she can’t wait to “see the costumes” that’ll be 30s and 40s accurate.
Lola encourages everyone to support their friends in it, and that it has a lot of “Christmas vibes,” which is perfect for the holiday season. Sullivan adds a final statement saying, to everyone, “Come see it!”
Greer Olson
Greer Olson, '27, is in her fourth year of journalism and an editor for the Student Life section. She enjoys writing about Redwood culture and its diverse population.
Tags: fall play, greer olson, It's a Wonderful Life, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism
