"Love Is Awkward" & "Present Tense" Fall Comedies at Atholton High Nov. 3-6

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alex Press on November 23, 2011 at 10:50am

Present Tense and Love Is Awkward

 

“Nothing can better convince me that true love is made up than spending a day in a high school that is 54% male.” No offense to the guys, but what teenage girl hasn't felt this way at one time or another? Atholton High School's performance of one acts Present Tense and Love Is Awkward accurately portrayed teen love in the most adorably awkward way possible.

The first one act was Present Tense by John McNamara. It's about a boy, Norm, with an overactive imagination and an insecurity about his present relationship with his girlfriend Ann. She's been rather distant lately and Norm fears it's because she's gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend Doug, the hot quarterback of the football team.

Love Is Awkward by Melissa Stuppy, which was performed after intermission, centers around Tracy Singleton – a high school student writing an article on teen love for the school newspaper. She interviews several people and couples about their experiences and there stories are acted out. In particular, she interviews Max Gallagher whom she quickly grows closer to.

More than anything else, the whole ensemble in this production was what made the show so great. Throughout both one acts there were awkward moments where the actors really had to let go and just do it. For example, in Present Tense there are at least four instances where a boy leaps on top of the character Ann like they are going to make out. Talking to Olivia D'Amato (Ann) after the show she said that the first couple weeks were really awkward and that she almost didn't want to do the show, but that eventually they got used to it and it's been fun. Although, she mentioned, it was uncomfortable again with an audience knowing they would think it was awkward. The bravery of actors like Olivia made this show what it was. Without their commitment, the parts would have fallen flat.

Leading men Alex Kohanski (Norm) and Jake McMichael (Doug) in Present Tense did a great job of playing off of each other – Alex as the awkward geek and Jake as the studly jock. Alex also had a lot of confidence out on stage which was important since he was alone out there much of the time. In Love Is Awkward, leads Erin Patterson (Tracy Singleton) and Scott Jones (Max Gallagher) were as natural as if they were playing themselves. There was clear chemistry throughout the show and although their relationship may have been awkward, their performance together was certainly not.

The minor roles in both one acts were fantastic. Even though some of them weren't on stage for very long, they made a lasting impression on the audience. Sam Kobren as Jerry (Norm's best friend) in Present Tense milked his scenes and sent the audience into giggles each time. The most out-standing couple in Love Is Awkward had to be Lisa Satchel (Lily) and Spencer Franco (Ryan Dawson) as the unlikely couple. Although it was more funny when Lisa was spurning Spencer's pleas to go to prom, there was a giddy satisfaction when they walked through the hall holding hands in the end. Lisa was simply hilarious with her loud disdain for boys. Spencer was ridiculously charming with his overconfident air and arrogant strut.

It is not often that there is a truthful, theatrical representation of what high school is really like. Shows like Grease and High School Musical exaggerate the clique-iness to an unrealistic extreme. Present Tense and Love Is Awkward gave the audience a perfect look into the real lives of teenagers struggling with romance. Hopefully, the adults watching learned something and understand us teens a little better now. 

 

Permalink Reply by Emily Reiss on November 23, 2011 at 10:56am

CHS 4

 

Relationships are awkward, but that’s what makes them beautiful. This was the theme of the two comedy one-acts about teen love, Present Tense and Love is Awkward performed at Atholton High School.

Present Tense follows teenager Norm as he attempts to analyze what his current girlfriend Ann is thinking, and imaginatively daydreams about whether or not she will come through and attend Homecoming with him. In Love is Awkward, school newspaper writer Tracy Singleton interviews her classmates about their relationships in order to compile the perfect article.

The comedic observations about relationships are what made the one-acts a comedic and entertaining experience. After each line of dialogue, there seemed to be a hint of comedy about relationships going wrong or having awkward moments. Anybody at any age could enjoy or relate to these two charming one-acts.

Norm (Alex Kohanski) in Present Tense enhanced the performance immensely. From his sarcastic and entertaining monologues to his priceless reactions, his character allowed the act to run smoothly, and it was satisfying to watch his character develop. In Love is Awkward, Erin Patterson successfully portrayed Tracy Singleton as a shy and innocent teenager at the beginning, and developed her into a more confident and knowledgeable news reporter and relationship enthusiast by the end. The male lead, Max Gallagher, was played by Scott Jones who did an excellent job portraying an awkward teenager. Jones had great pacing in his scenes, making them easier to understand from the audience. He was also able to carry along each conversation with extreme believability, which furthered the performance that much more.

The supporting character that made Present Tense exceptionally more comical was Jerry (Sam Kobren). Kobren perfected his role as Norm’s hilarious friend by executing his lines with good timing, and changing the tone and pitch of his voice when delivering a humorous line. Two characters that stood out in Love is Awkward because of their comedic lines and reactions were Lily (Lisa Satchell) and Ryan Dawson (Spencer Franco). Satchell was able to effectively portray her character by delivering her lines, whether funny or serious, with emotion that even the audience could feel. Franco locked into his character persuasively. His voice choices and physical choices adequately portrayed Ryan Dawson as a popular teenager set on Lily. The scenes between these two developed characters were particularly entertaining.

The simplicity of the set used in the two acts was an effective choice. With so many characters to keep track of in Love is Awkward, the simple set allowed the audience to pay attention to the actors on stage as opposed to the set design. Another sufficient choice was having clothes sprawled out around the stage in Present Tense to resemble Norm’s bedroom, making the scene much more believable. The cast of Love is Awkward all wore typical present day school clothes and carried around backpacks, accurately illustrating high school students. One costume aspect that took away from the scenes was that several of the cast members wore flip flops on stage, which made noise, taking the attention away from what was going on onstage.

These teen love comedies proclaim that relationships that are imperfect and awkward make them all that more enjoyable.

Permalink Reply by Emily Anderson on November 28, 2011 at 4:45pm

Atholton High School’s drama department went beyond the stereotypical high school theatre with their productions of two one act plays, “Present Tense,” by John McNamara, and “Love is Awkward,” by Melissa Stuppy.

              In the first play, “Present Tense,” main character Norm paces around his bedroom waiting for his girlfriend, Anne, to call about that evening’s homecoming dance. She apparently cannot go because of her sick Aunt. As Norm tells the audience about his situation, he wonders if Anne is lying or maybe even secretly in love with her ex-boyfriend Doug.  The second presentation, “Love is Awkward,” follows aspiring journalist Tracy Singleton as she tries to write an article about teenage love. Through interviewing students like Max Gallagher, Becca Kendall, Jason Reynolds, and Lily, Tracy wants to prove teenage love can be just as real and romantic as adult love. By interviewing kids from her school, Tracy realizes that teenage love can be cute and sweet but can also be awkward. While Tracy’s storyline drives the plot, many other subplots evolve as students tell their relationship stories.

            While both productions offered independently funny scripts, the actors created a high school environment with their expressions and deliveries.  The cast moved well around the stage and the scenes generally flowed well. In “Present Tense,” it was not always clear to the audience when Norm was imagining and when Norm was in real time, but overall, the production succeeded in capturing the male side of teenage love. 

            Alex Kohanski was excellent as sarcastic and obsessive Norm in “Present Tense.” His dead-pan delivery of the script added to the humorous elements of the production. Erin Patterson, as Tracy Singleton, and Scott Jones, as Max Gallagher, were equally effective in “Love is Awkward.” Jones did a great job showing the evolution of his confused character.  First thinking he had a “type” of girl, he grew to think differently, and the audience could feel the chemistry between Max and Tracy as their storyline progressed. The audience could easily relate to both productions, because the leads infused the perfect teenage energy into the script and made the storylines believable.

            The supporting actors were equally important in these productions.  In “Present Tense,” the supporting cast was essential, because the actors were responsible for bringing Norm’s imagination to life on stage.  Jake McMichael, as Doug, effectively brought out the conceited traits of the stereotypical jock through obvious winks and poses toward the audience.  In “Love is Awkward,” one of the most compelling storylines was Lily’s. Ryan Dawson repeatedly asked her to prom. She refused him every time, claiming she didn’t believe in love. The audience could tell that Lisa Satchell, as Lily, was extremely enthusiastic about her role and delivered her lines with exactly the right inflection. Spencer Franco, as Ryan Dawson, kept the audience laughing with his over-the-top facial expressions and hair flipping.

                The same set was used in both productions, first as a bedroom, then as a high school, and its configuration highlighted the separate storylines. The costumes portrayed many different high school social groups including the typical jocks, geeks, and goths.  The locker sound effects in “Love is Awkward,” were placed perfectly and the lighting changes in “Present Tense,” implied that Norm had a lamp on or off in his bedroom.

             “Present Tense,” and “Love is Awkward,” were a pleasure to watch. The leads and supporting characters did a fantastic job and really seemed to have a passion for acting. They helped the audience to either remember their high school days or connect the characters to their current high school experience. 

 

Permalink Reply by Marie Pines on December 4, 2011 at 4:25pm

                “This is so great” were the whispered words as the play at Atholton High School ended. The compilation of two one-act comedies was as ingenious as it was hilarious. Both shows served smiles from lights up to curtain call.

                Because the shows were one acts, they had to keep moving. Act One was a show called Present Tense by John McNamara. This show followed the thoughts of a teenage boy trying to puzzle out the thoughts of his girlfriend. This show is very typical of teens without being tired, the witty dialogue turns ordinary situations into memorable one liners. The second act, by Atholton alumni Melissa Stuppy, is a play called Love is Awkward. This follows the story of a high school reporter trying to write a story about the beauty of teenage love. As she interviews various members of her school hilarity ensues with each character standing out as a bright gem, unique and memorable.

                One of the greatest elements of both shows was the impeccable timing of the actors. The queues were picked up with excellence of professionals. The timing of any show is important and can often make or break the experience even with the best scripts. With both of these shows there was a great script and great actors, the best of both worlds.

                The leads of the shows did a great job of moving the plot along. The lead male in Present Tense Norm, played by Alex Kohanski, is awkward, insecure, lovable and all around adorable. His wild fantasies spinning out of control as he worries over problems every teenager in a relationship has had. The lead female in Love is Awkward Tracy Singleton, played by Erin Patterson, is a much different character. She’s a shy writer who’s striving to write something groundbreaking. Her interviews are a great way to string together the short scenes. Both leads did a wonderful job playing up the other characters and letting everyone shine.

                The casts of both shows were small; Present Tense has only 7 characters, but every person does their part to fill the stage. The audience really knew the characters by the end, even though they only spent half an hour with them. The ensemble in Love is Awkward was especially wonderful; there is a boy with a backpack running through most scenes that was particularly entertaining. The extra couple characters gave the setting a high school feel without making the stage too crowded. Another great character was Greg, his scenes had tears of mirth rolling down everyone’s cheeks.

                The set was minimal, but perfectly suited for the plays. The platforms on either side, plus the large space center stage, allowed the attention to be draw all across the stage giving levels and atmospheres to every scene. The lighting was sometimes off, but it would be difficult for anyone watching to do anything but try and not fall out of his chair laughing.

                These shows are hysterical, relatable and wonderful. The actors know their characters and play them perfectly. For those who are teens, or still teens at heart, this show is definitely one to see. 

Permalink Reply by Dirk Holzman on December 5, 2011 at 6:36am

Atholton High School, Where Love Really was Awkward!

            Just as Max tells Tracy in the hallway, “For teenagers, love is…it’s uncomfortable. It’s, it’s embarrassing. It’s stupid and it’s goofy. It’s, it’s awkward, Tracey. Love is awkward. High-schoolers are awkward. But maybe, I dunno, maybe all that awkwardness is what makes love beautiful.” Atholton High School does a fantastic job of proving just that, in their performance of both Present Tense and Love is Awkward.

            Present Tense and Love is Awkward are two unusual one-act comedies that both deal with male and female perspectives of teenage relationships. Present Tense, written by John McNamara, tells the story of Norm and Ann’s difficult and awkward relationship. Most of the show is narrated by Norm, who explains to the audience some of the past events in his relationship with Ann. He provides numerous fantasies about what Ann may be doing with other guys, such as the popular Doug. Love is Awkward, by Melissa Stuppy, a former Atholton student, is led by Tracy, a school journalist who writes a newspaper report on teen relationships and interviews a wide-range of people. She interviews the casual Max, the classic couple, Becca and Jason, the pessimistic Lily, and the funny Justin, to learn about their relationship experiences. Tracy even develops a relationship of her own while writing the article and learns a lot about the awkwardness of teenage relationships.

            Overall, the performance was exceptional and the actors wonderfully portrayed the characters in a very natural manner. The cast made great use of pantomime in the slightly minimalist shows, and had fantastic comedic timing and kept the audience laughing the whole time. Although, Present Tense did not resonate with me as much as Love is Awkward, a more realistic depiction of high school relationships, both shows were executed with obvious attention to detail by everyone involved.

            The talented and comedic leads of Present Tense and Love is Awkward superbly played their parts as if they were actual video recordings of real high school events. In Present Tense, Alex Kohanski exquistely acted as the nerdy Norm with Olivia D’Amato as Ann and both brought to the stage great skill to perform their parts naturally and with enthusiasm. Erin Patterson and Scott Jones did the same as Tracy and Max, in Love is Awkward. The actors portrayed the situations with the same emotions as they occur in high school, and Kohanski and D’Amato maturely displayed the mildly inappropriate scenes of Present Tense. Patterson and Jones had wonderful comedic timing and depicted a very believable high school romance throughout the show.

            However, the supporting characters and ensemble were what brought the shows to life, especially in Love is Awkward, which is meant to take place inside a high school. The ensemble made the set feel like a high school by comedically portraying the many cliques with only a couple people representing each. The vibrant personalities of the supporting characters complimented the leads and got many laughs from the audience.

            The stage crew, lighting, and sound did a splendid job with the production. Although there were a few sound and light mistakes, they were quickly fixed and the shows continued on as if they never occurred. The costumes fit the high school atmosphere and were just like what most high-schoolers wear every day to school, further giving the necessary, natural feel to the productions.

            As the casts of both Present Tense and Love is Awkward demonstrated, high school love is an embarrassing, but beautiful, attempt at romance. It can be funny, serious, depressing, uncomfortable, but one thing it always is—is awkward.

Permalink Reply by Claire Fremuth on December 5, 2011 at 6:26pm

“The courses of true love never did run smooth.” Wisely said, Shakespeare, wisely said. The actors from Atholton High School would most certainly agree! Performing two one-act plays, Present Tense by John McNamara, and Love is Awkward by Melissa Stumpy, Atholton puts on a wonderfully uncomfortable and realistic rendition of high school romances!

                The night began with Present Tense, the tale of a nerdy boy and his paranoid woes over his new belle! Norm, played by Alex Kohanski, and Ann, played by Olivia D’Amato, interact for the better part of the time in Norm’s imagination! Norm is concerned that Ann will leave him for someone else, and plays out these pseudo-scenarios in his head, while the rest of the cast brings them to life.

                The stage was set to accommodate both show, and the simple structure sufficed very nicely for both! The lighting was equally simply and necessarily done. The technical aspects throughout the night were smooth, allowing the audience to pay their full attention to the talent on the stage!

                By the time the second act came about, the audience was still in stitched! Little did they know that Love is Awkward would make them roar out in even more laughter!

                The second-act play was written by an Atholton alumni, and as such perfectly portrayed the awkward patterns and happenings of high schoolers. Tracy Singleton, played by Erin Patterson, decides to write an article all about romance and love! By going around school and asking her acquaintances and friends about their past stories, Tracy discovers that perfect high school love doesn’t exist! Tracy fixes her hypothesis, and writes a smashing article all about the abnormalities of romance!

                Patterson exhibits wonderful stage chemistry with her fellow actors, particularly Scott Jones (playing Max Gallagher) with whom her character shares her own romance! Jones exhibits a typical high school guy, chill, calm and cool. Max, inevitably falling for the girl who “isn’t his usual type”, learns through the show that romance can be better than he thought, and in turn helps Tracy to learn that romance is better when is isn’t perfect!

                The hilarity of the second act laid within the mini-romances that were wonderfully weaved into the interviewing process.

                Undoubtedly and unanimously (proven by the audiences enjoyment), the funniest of the pairs were Lisa Satchell (playing Lily) and Spencer Franco (playing Ryan Dawson). The pairing of Ryan and Lily is so unbelievable that it becomes expected! Lily is a sassy feminist, while Ryan is a cocky bro, fully-confident that he could make Lily his girl! The juxtaposition of these two characters is brilliantly portrayed by the chemistry (or rather, anti-chemistry!) that Satchell and Franco have. It was perfectly apparent that the two were comfortable working together, and so were able to fully exhibit their dislike for one another! They were a delight in the midst of an amazing show! Atholton fully-proved their point in showing that ‘Love is Awkward’!

                Although Tracy had set out to make romance out to be a dream, “My article is about romance, not romantic fo-pah!” Lily was quick to tell her, “Well good luck, you’re interviewing high schoolers!”

                So even though love may not always be perfect, even though it may be messy and it may take a long time to find, at the end of a comedy, everyone is always together anyway!