Photo by Courtney Cooper

By Courtney Cooper

As actors got into costume, excited parents and students filed into the auditorium to watch the annual fall production on Oct. 17 and 18.

The dramatic comedy “Do Not Go Gentle” is a play about a deceased woman, Lillian Barron, who finds herself among her mourning relatives as they discuss her passing. Although they all have strong opinions of their late relative, they find themselves coming together as a family by the end of the play.

Freshman Tehreen Chandry was cast as the character, “Nobody.”

“It’s about kind of tying up loose ends and all those family ties,” Chandry said. “Everyone is just broken apart. They don’t know how to feel about the grandma, but it’s supposed to bring them together and make everyone see that they do love each other in the end.”

As the audience watched the play, they may have noticed the strange, humorous and psychedelic sets. They were built by Jeanne Averill’s stagecraft class and designed by junior Brandon Kongkingdavong. It took the class two weeks to build, draw and paint all the flats and platforms.

“I was really surprised when they chose my designs,” Kongkingdavong said. “It’s definitely better than doing the class work.”

Henry Elliott, play director, was in charge of choosing the play and actors.

“I had seen ‘Do Not Go Gentle’ a few years ago at an International Thespian convention and thought it would be a good fit for Lawrence High,” Elliott said.

Although being in front of large groups of people can intimidate some people, a select number of students prefer to be put in the spot light.

“I started acting in middle school, and I really loved it,” Chandry said. “So I decided I might as well take a chance and audition.”

Many of the acting students agree that the theater is a place where you can take a step out of your life, meet new people and try new things.

Sophomore Nicole Berkley played Joanna, Lillian’s niece in the play.

“You get to be a different person than who you are,” Berkley said. “Like if you’re having a bad day you can step outside that and be someone else.”

Senior Rachel Woolery received the leading role of the grandmother, Lillian.

“I like acting, and I thought it would be fun senior year just to do it again,” Woolery said.