25 | September | 2024 | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Persephone Pond & Beverly Stinson

If you’re someone who loves acting, singing, crew work, or just the art of theater in general, we’d encourage you to join Highland’s amazing theater community. Theater in general is an amazing community to be in, Highland being a great example.

Whether you’re new to theater or have experience, we highly recommend you join as you could make new friends, learn new skills and just have a great time.

In this article we will cover the upcoming 2024-2025 shows, how to get involved, the experiences you could make, and how theater can benefit you in the long run.

Schedule

In the fall, our theater program performs two well known plays, which are worked on throughout the first few months. Auditions are held the third week of school, and with our no cut policy, everyone who auditions gets to have a role! In addition to acting on stage, there are also opportunities to help backstage with set building, costuming, prop building, and so much more!

Our first fall show this year will be ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie. This show is a stage adaptation of the author’s original best selling murder mystery novel which follows ten strangers who are brought to an island by a mysterious host who accuses each of murder. The performances will take place November 14th, 15th and 16th.

Our second fall production will be ‘The School for Scandal’ by Richard B. Sheridan. This comedy of manners stage adaptation follows a wealthy man named Sir Oliver, who is struggling to decide which of his nephews to leave his fortune to. He decides to find out as much about their characters as possible, and meanwhile, the nephews, Charles and Joseph, are both in love with the same girl, Maria. Performances will be December 5th, 6th and 7th.

Auditions for both fall shows were held September 17th and 18th after school, posters with the audition information were posted around the school and on Highland Park’s Theater social media @hptheatrearts.

The next set of shows are the winter one acts, which will be a weekend on student directed one acts which will be performed mid February. Auditions are held shortly after the fall season ends, and each person who auditions will be cast by students and directed by students. There will also be many tech opportunities to help with each individual act.

The spring musical is typically our largest production of the year. The musical is voted upon by students interested in working on it, so there is no confirmed musical yet. Everyone who auditions will be cast, and in addition to numerous singing, dancing and acting rehearsals through the spring months, there will also be the most tech opportunities of any show. Performances will take place late April.

The final show of the year is a spring play, which is typically the smallest production, mostly reserved for upperclassmen. Everyone is welcome to audition, but there are cuts and seniority plays a large role in the casting process. Tech is open to anyone who wants to help, and the performances will take place early-mid May.

Other theater events take place throughout the year which don’t require an after school commitment, like our monthly theater club meetings where we all meet up, talk about scheduling and build community. At the end of the year we host a senior send off talent show to honor the graduating seniors, and we also host a potluck picnic over the summer.

Community

Highland’s theater community is one like no other; you’re guaranteed to find someone who shares your interests and feels welcomed.

Our director, Nancy Michaels, makes sure that newcomers feel at home and comfortable, if you have problems, she tends to them. She truly is both an amazing director and teacher.

For me (Beverly), I joined theater last year near the end of the school year. I had waited so long because I was scared of not being fit for it. But after doing my first show (‘Beauty and the Beast’) I quickly became comfortable in the community, especially with the help of Nancy.

Our theater is safe for people of all backgrounds.

After the last showing of every show there are cast parties which I know sounds a little intimidating but the parties are usually really chill and it’s just a great time to wind down with your cast and crew after working so hard on the shows.

Benefits

Being in theater can help with so many things in your life, both currently and in the future. As of right now it can help with skills you wish to learn including Acting, Singing, Socializing, Production, and Time Management.

In the future, being in theater could help with college admissions and job applications, whether you’re an actor, director, or tech crew. It especially will help if you ever direct a show like one of the one acts, which are all directed by seniors and sometimes juniors.

It’s really easy to get to know people in theater since you’re almost always talking to someone; it is incredibly social.

Wrap-Up

Like we said, theater is an amazing community to be in and it really can help you so much in the long run. And it’s always nice to see new faces and teach them about theater if they don’t already know how it works.

So, if you’re looking for a new career choice, new friends, or just something fun to do after-school then we would love it if you gave theater a chance!

We can’t wait to see new faces!

Sincerely, Persephone and Beverly

By: Norah Hogland & Lily Sheldon

Fall is here; you know what that means! Leaves changing color, Halloween, fall treats, and best of all: Coffee shops have released their fall menus, and we’re here to test them out. We went to three different chain coffee shops to try out the most popular fall drink: the Pumpkin Spice latte.

Starbucks is the most well known stop for the iconic fall drink, selling approximately 20 million Pumpkin Spice lattes every year. But as the drink’s popularity has grown, more coffee shops have started adding the drink to their seasonal menu. People wait all year for this drink, as its popularity has skyrocketed over the last few years. Other coffee shops have started releasing their version of this fall staple, and we are here to see which one is the best.

First, we tried a Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Spice latte. Some things to note about the Starbucks latte: the pumpkin flavor was not very strong, but still noticeable. It also had a strong coffee flavor, which appeals to some people depending on their taste. It came with whipped cream and spices on the top. The cost of this drink was $6.25, and it was the smallest amount of the 3, though we ordered the same size from each place. Even so, it was a good drink. Overall, we rate this drink a 7.8/10.

Then, we tried an Iced Pumpkin latte from Caribou. This drink had a larger cup than Starbucks, and the cost was only $5.89. Unfortunately, there was no whipped cream or spices on top of this drink, it was just the coffee itself. There was a larger amount of ice compared to the other drinks as well. The latte from Caribou had a stronger pumpkin flavor, and less of a coffee flavor. Another thing to note was that it also had a bit of a fake, artificial flavor to it, which was not exactly pleasant. Overall rating of this drink was 4.66/10.

Lastly, we tried the Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spice latte. This drink had the largest cup for a small sized drink. Dunkin’s drink cost $5.89, the same as Caribou. This drink came with the most whipped cream, and it included caramel drizzle, and a dusting of cinnamon sugar. This drink was the sweetest tasting of the three, tasted more like pumpkin than Starbucks, but not more than Caribou and was more milky than the other 2. This drink is very sugary and sweet, which some prefer and some don’t. Overall, we rate this drink a 6.8/10.

If you are still wondering which drink you would like most, here are our thoughts:

If you like to stick to the classics, and if you prefer a stronger coffee flavor and a less sweet drink, we would recommend the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte. It is a tasty, solid option for coffee lovers to be in spirit during the fall season.
If you are looking for a more simple, and less expensive option, with no add ons, we would recommend the Caribou latte. The only problem with this one is the strange flavor to it, but some people don’t mind this. Caribou is a good option for pumpkin lovers, as it has the strongest pumpkin flavor out of the 3.
Lastly, the latte from Dunkin’. It’s a sweet, milky drink topped with lots of whipped cream and spices. This latte was more of a treat, so if you don’t love the taste of coffee but love pumpkin and sweetness, then Dunkin’ is the one for you.

If you don’t know your preferences? Try Starbucks, as it is the most neutral and, in our opinion, best tasting out of the three. Or, to get the full experience, try them all!