As leaves begin to dot the ground and the air turns cold, one thing can be sure: the annual Upper St. Clair fall play has started production. This year, the school chose Lost in Yonkers. Set in New York during World War Two, the comedic drama follows two boys, Jay and Arty, who are forced to live with their authoritarian grandmother and brainless aunt for a year while their father travels around the country selling scrap metal to pay off his debts from his wife’s funeral. 

The production was just as entertaining for the cast as it was for the audience. “Since the cast and crew is a lot smaller than other shows we do, we are all able to become much closer with each other, forming stronger bonds and friendships,” said Thomas McQuillan, who played Jay. It seems that the size of a given cast is inversely proportional to how close members feel to one another. The bond shared by the cast was evident on stage, with intense emotion oozing out of the actors every moment they were on stage. 

The outstanding performances came with a considerable commitment from the actors, however: “It certainly offered a challenge for acting and especially memorization, and I felt stressed at times, but in the end, I felt it went very successfully and provided an emotionally and artistically fulfilling experience,” Said Luke McDonough. This sentiment was reiterated by Brian McFerran, who played the role of Eddie: “I was very pleased with the production of the play. There were a couple of rehearsals that got me sweating a little bit, a little worried about how we’d do, but I think everyone enjoyed it.”

Even so, being able to inhabit such lively characters proved a fun exercise for those on stage. “With Louie, I was able to be this over-the-top and bombastic character, and it was a blast. Getting to outlet my creativity in a show like this was a ton of fun,” stated Brian McFerran. According to Luke McDonough: “My favorite part of the production was being able to inhabit the psychological and emotional space of a three-dimensional character and explore his reactions and motivations throughout a story.” 

The dedication to memorizing lines and learning to truly inhabit the characters didn’t dissuade the actors’ and actresses’ passion for performing, however. All of the cast members I was able to survey stated that they intended to do the upcoming spring musical, and those not graduating this year will be cast members in the upcoming spring musical. Those who were pleased with this showing can look forward to more stellar performances in the future. 

Brian McFerran ended his survey with a word of encouragement: “It was a ton of fun to put on, and I encourage anyone on the fence to get involved for next year!”