Sophomore Jessica Taylor, 15, and junior John Bucy, 17, rehearse their lines during rehearsal for Langley High School’s “Book of Days,” running April 23 to 25 at Hunter Woods Elementary School in Reston. Photo by Abigail Constantino/The Connection
Langley High School’s spring production of Lanford Wilson’s “Book of Days” will run on April 23-25 at Hunter Woods Elementary School in Reston. The show must go on even while Langley is undergoing major renovations.
The cast had their first practice in the venue for the first time on Saturday, April 11. “We’ve been practicing in school but this is actually the first time we’ve been here,” said sophomore Jamie Goodson, 16, who plays the lead character Ruth Hoch.
Goodson said she sees a lot of similarities between her character and herself. “She’s outspoken, not reserved, says whatever’s on her mind,” she said. Because of the play within the play, Goodson is also playing Joan of Arc. “We read scenes from Joan of Arc,” she said, to prepare for the role and get into the character.
Sophomores Sam Kit, 16, and Kanishk Singh, 16, share the role of Earl Hill, a “low-life, poor guy,” said Singh, whom Ruth suspects of foul play when Walt Bates, played by senior Liam Nimick, the owner of the cheese plant in the small town of Dublin, Mo., is found dead.
Singh and Kit both said that they are nothing like their character, whom they described as secluded, both emotionally and physically. “You just have to find that element within yourself,” said Singh. “I really had to search myself for this role,” added Kit.
Under the direction of Valerie Karasek, the cast also utilized techniques that allowed them to truly get into their characters. John Bucy, 17, and Sivan Tretiak, 15, spent a part of the rehearsal play fighting. There is no actual fight scene in the production but Karasek had the boys run their lines while pretending to be engaged in a fistfight, in what she calls “physicalizing the scene.”
“Book of Days” was written in 2000 by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lanford Wilson. The mystery of Walt Bates’ death and the dogged persistence of main character Ruth Hoch, along with the residents of the small town, hold a mirror on values of the tight-knit community. “The play shakes up small-town values, it takes on its morality,” said Karasek. “Can we accept truth if it’s uncomfortable and if it shakes our values?” she said.
“Book of Days” will run April 23 to 25 at Hunter Woods Elementary School, 2401 Colts Neck Road, Reston. For more information, go to http://www.saxon-stage.com/.