There are many ways to tell a story, theater being one of them. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a coming-of-age story about class rivalry between two teenage gangs. However, anyone can tell you that from a quick google search. Instead of having someone tell you, come see it for yourself.
On the evenings of September 26, 27, and Oct 3, lighting, special effects, customs, and passion will come together to bring The Outsiders to life. Everyone should know of the effort behind the curtains that goes into the performance.
“I love the idea of showing that this level of not just rebellion, but the feeling of childhood angst is sort of universal,” said Mr. Burch, Hamilton’s sound design technician. “Even though the story takes place in the 60s it makes just as much sense in the 70s or the 80s or even now.”
Mr. Burch has been involved with the theater for a long time, with his first exposure to it as a performer. Over time, he fell in love with the technical aspects of it, appreciating how behind the scenes elements could captivate an audience.
As a design technician, Mr. Burch constructs sets and operates lighting and sound systems, as well as managing the technical elements of a production. “I also like building a soundscape, which is where you try to fill out the world with different noises, things to help immerse you in the story,” he said.
Ms. Miller, the theater teacher and the play’s director, said she had been thinking about this production for months. “I started putting thoughts together over the summer, but we started working the day before school started,” she said.
Similarly, some of the actors gave their input about their experience with the show. Laynie Llanos, an 11th grade AMPA student, shared her former exposure with past Outsiders adaptations. ” I remember I watched the movie when I was in 9th grade and middle school. I thought it was really cool and good and I just fell in love with every aspect of it,” she said. “Everything about it was so real compared to when you’re in adolescence, so it was really meaningful to see people who I could relate to on screen.”
Jolie Desvignes, who plays Dallas Winston, spoke with enthusiasm about her role. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m in my dream role, so it’s really cool to me, and the movie is one of my favorite movies, so it’s kinda like a dream to me, and I’m really happy to be in like my dream role.”
Everyone’s worked hard, both staff and students. Come support AMPA and see their final show during period 6 and 7 on Oct. 1 and on Oct. 3 at 5:00pm.
Amen Abdullah and Nancy Paredes contributed reporting for this article.
