By Amy Keum
Staff Writer
Westford Academy Theater Arts is set to present the second black box production of the year, Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker, directed by WA senior Alexa Overington.
The comedy revolves around an unlikely group of strangers who come together when they sign up for a small community theater class. The character Marty, played by sophomore Micki Downey, leads the class in imaginative and sometimes awkward theatre games, even acting out each other’s life exeriences. But as they grow in their relationships with one another, they all undergo a transformation, all coming together to form the ultimate six week experience.
Cast members include sophomores Micki Downey, Katie Sawosik, and Brandon Jurewicz along with freshmen Callan Rendall and Caroline Lawlor.The play is being assistant directed by freshman Stephanie Miller and stage managed by freshman Morgan Shea.
Overington first saw this play almost three years ago on the anual New York trip led by theater arts teacher Michael Towers when scanning through plays in a drama book store. She, a sophomore at the time, was initially drawn in by the prospect of a play that was based on theater, something not often seen in the playwriting world.
“I read it on the way home from New York and fell in love with it immediately and knew it was the play that I would direct,” said Overington.
When casting the show, Overington held to the principles of a professional director, and tried to wipe away an preconceived notions.
“I tried to stay as open minded as possible going through the audition process, just to let people surprise me and let the people who auditioned and were at the callbacks just come into the roles that they were supposed to be. And I think I ended up with the best people,” said Overington.
Having been casted into the show, the actors also went straight to work. Getting into character, each actor seemed to have their own process. Downey put her focus into character development, using a packet of questions to really get to know her character Marty.
“Even if you’re never gonna tell anyone else what your favorite childhood play was, it kind of just helps you connect with your character,” said Downey.
With such a small cast and full-length play, memorizing lines in itself would seem a daunting task. The cast members, however, were not too worried. Jurewicz, who plays James, the husband of Marty, spoke of the play’s fluidity, making it especially easy to memorize.
“It’s easy to link line to line. It’s so real, the reality of it, that the lines just go together. Not even knowing the show you could maybe feel what these characters would say, how anyone would say it. It’s a very real show,” said Jurewicz.
Jurewicz and his cast members were all able to attest to the shows relatability. Many of them said that they could actually relate to all the characters and find parallels in their own lives. “It’s all real o’clock,” jokes Downey.
With all the time spent at rehearsals and work put in getting into character, balancing schoolwork can be difficult. Surprisingly, many of the cast members agreed that the show actually gives them motivation and energy.
“I’ve had times after rehearsal where I’m like ‘I need to get my homework done and go to sleep’ so I’m just really motivated to do my work… and then there’s been times when there’s been no shows going on and I’d be like ‘I don’t feel like doing my homework so I’ll spend two hours on the internet procrastinating,'” said Sawosik.
But through all of this hardwork, there is more than just a show in the works. Overington elaborated on a deeper reasoning for her decision to direct this particular show.
“It’s so reflective of my journey through high school and I think other people’s journeys too. Going through transformations either because of theater, which is specific to me, or through relationships in your life that cause you to become a different person, which is what I went through in my past four years of high school. I’m just so glad that this is one of the culminating things I will do with Westford Academy Theater Arts,” said Overington.
Performances for Circle Mirror Transformation will be held on January 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
