written by Ashley Hsu

Remember last year’s production of Top 8 Worst Breakups of All Time that received a huge round of applause from the KAS community? This year, with a bigger budget and a larger cast, Drama Club proudly presents Bad Auditions by Bad Actors, a comedy written by Ian McWethy and directed by the school’s senior duo: Erin Harris and Jessica Wang.

Premiering on April 21st, the story of Bad Audition by Bad Actors revolves around a newbie director Carol (Meg Shieh) and her somewhat incapable assistant Roger (Kenny So) who are casting the leads for a community theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. In this 70-80 minutes play, actors in the town of Hoxie pull out their strangest performing skills and stunts, or lack thereof, which fail miserably to impress Carol and Roger. On the list of crazy actors, there are ones with anger issues, obsessions for iambic pentameter, and performers who get too deep into their characters. The madness escalates after acting coaches and agents get involved in this stream of never-ending bad auditions, and the disappointment in Carol’s eyes just can’t seem to fade…

 

Last year’s Top 8 Worst Breakups and this year’s Bad Auditions are both works by playwright Ian McWethy. The Drama Club president, Erin Harris, explained that this play is not only chosen by the majority club member, but McWethy has a humour she is personally fond of. Harris went on and said, “McWethy is very flexible. Unlike other playwrights that have strict rules about what you can [and cannot] do, he writes in the beginning of the play ‘if you need to change anything, go ahead.’ So it really allows for interpretation for the actors and me, this year’s director, to work with that.”

Besides McWethy’s humour and flexibility, another element both plays share is the relationship between the leading characters. Last year, there was the friendship between Eve, a “godmother” from the nonprofit company “Relationships for a Better Tomorrow”, and Katie, a young girl who just went through a traumatizing breakup. This year, the audience can expect to see a close bond between Carol and Roger through their “platonic chemistry” as they struggle to find the perfect cast under the pressure of Avery Stern – Carol’s demanding boss and Roger’s crazy aunt (played by Harris herself).

 

When asked about the experience working on the production, Harris said the creation process is still quite similar from last year’s. Except this time, the club have a lot more members. Which means more rehearsals and more time they have to dedicate in order to put up a good show. “There’re some pressure to top last year’s production,” she acknowledged. “Teachers are especially enthusiastic about a larger, more professional production, [and some, even suggest musical revivals].”

From the speed in which the Drama Club is growing, it definitely has the potential to meet that standard. But it wouldn’t be possible without the encouragement from the students, the faculty, and the support from the school’s administration.

One of the biggest obstacles the club faces is  limited access to the auditorium space. “The auditorium is really hard to book for understandable reasons because the school wants the auditorium to stay as clean as possible,” Harris addressed with a weak smile. Compare to other international schools and state schools, whose members have the advantage to rehearse during the weekends and enjoy the artificial wood smell in the auditorium at least 5 times a week, the KAS Drama Club simply doesn’t have the privilege to do so.

As for this moment, rehearsals take place in the lecture hall or in Ms. Murray (Ms. Boulanger)’s classroom, and it can be quite difficult. “It’s been really hard to coordinate where things are on the actual stage,” the director expressed in frustration.

The auditorium is only open 2 days prior to the performance and on the day of the production. “We are basically simulating what it would be like,” Harris said.

“It’s not good for the performance, it’s not good for the audience, and it’s not good for us – actors and directors, who would like to prepare the real thing for nerves and artistic purposes.”

Despite the challenge, Drama Club is confident to deliver a greater, grander performance in April. The bigger budget and the expanding crew are being translated into definite signs of improvements and elevation. Old members thrive from last year’s experience, while new members add refreshing voices into the play.

 

Support the Drama Club and come to see Bad Audition by Bad Actors  3:30 on April 21 in the KAS auditorium.

Admissions are free, but the value for entertainment is priceless!