Falcon Playhouse returns with new production
By Ashley Shah
The Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) Falcon Playhouse will perform its production of “Alice by Heart” on Oct. 29 to 31.
‘“Alice by Heart’ is a musical that features a young girl named Alice who reads ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to her friend Alfred who is dying of tuberculosis. The setting of this production is in a London tube shelter during the World War II blitz,” director and theatre teacher Patrick Garcia said. “We watch as Alice copes through Wonderland as her friend is dying. The characters in the tube station are translated into the characters in Wonderland.”
There will be 22 main characters in this play, plus an ensemble.
“The actor usually plays the role for Wonderland and the tube station, but I have casted most of the students to just have one role. This way allows more students to be involved,” Garcia said.
The next Falcon Playhouse production will be “Mean Girls,” taking place at the end of February.
“We are doing another musical because there is a lot of vocal talent with the students this year, so we felt it would allow students to showcase that talent,” Garcia said.
Their last production of the year, “Those Who Remain Turn The Pages,” will take place in May.
“Our last production will take place outside, in our amphitheater,” Garcia said. “The cool part of this production is that there are two different endings, and the audience gets to choose the ending. We have been wanting to do a production like this for a while, and it finally worked out.”
Additionally, in January, the Falcon Playhouse will be hosting a one-act festival. Around 10 other schools will be performing.
“The one-acts are student directed. This festival is a great opportunity for students to receive feedback, as they get adjudicated by professionals,” Garcia said. “We did this two years ago, and it was a great way for students to grow and learn how to take constructive feedback.”
The Falcon Playhouse, which consists of the improv troupe, productions, the International Thespian Society, and classes, has about 80 members this year.
“The International Thespian Society is housed under the educational theater association. Students are inducted after completing 100 hours of exceptional theatre outside of the classroom,” Garcia said. “Once inducted, students can receive recognitions, such as
national thespian honors after completing 1,200 hours of exceptional theatre outside of the classroom.”
Garcia stated that those involved in the drama program have been working toward updating the lighting and sound system.
“We have been fundraising to update our lighting. We are trying to include LED lights alongside the Tungsten light we already have,” he said. “We are trying to get more wireless microphones for the students as well. We have about 10, but anyone who knows theatre knows that is not enough.”
The SRHS Falcon Playhouse hosted its main fundraiser this past month through SchoolFundr.
“We did well with our fundraiser. We really appreciate the community supporting our students and our endeavors with updating lighting and sound. One hundred percent of what we make goes right back to our program,” Garcia said.
“I really try to put my kids in the driver’s seat. They direct and design. I want them to feel like ‘I can do this’ when they leave the theatre,” Garcia added.
Donations are still welcome for the program, and supporters of the program can purchase tickets for the shows.
For more information, visit @srhsfalconplayhouse on Instagram or Facebook.