This summer, theater students from Herndon and Westfield high schools are really getting to know each other.
Finishing a 4-week summer theater camp, students from both schools displayed their combined talents in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night this past weekend, and are ready to perform Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat this upcoming weekend.
While the Twelfth Night performance kept to the letter of the original script, the audience was not greeted with the Elizabethan England that one might expect from a Shakespeare play.
Directed by Westfield theater instructor Scott Pafumi, young actors wore polo shirts, plaid shorts, and sailor hats, while young actresses wore leis, pigtails, flowered skirts, and sandals.
Hammocks, guitars, palm trees, and an island mural also added to the creative tropical theme that illustrated the setting of Illyria, the island on which the play is set.
The comedic plot portrayed a complicated love triangle. "The countess begins depressed and all the men are trying to woo her," said Carolyn Agan of her character, countess Olivia. "The Duke is after her, but Olivia falls in love with the Duke's servant."
Agan, a recent graduate of Westfield, first became interested in theater when she was 8 years old, playing an Indian in Peter Pan. She lives in Centreville and is a rising freshman at Shenandoah University, majoring in musical theater.
JOSEPH AND THE TECHNICOLOR Dreamcoat, a 'through-composed' musical told only in music and lyrics, will be presented twice, on Thursday, July 28 and again on Friday, July 29 at 8 p.m.
Performances are open to the public and will be held in the main auditorium of Herndon Middle School, off Locust Street. General admission is $7, with a discounted rate of $5 for seniors and students.
Students will have practiced for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat for four weeks at the time of its performance.
The musical is based on the biblical story of Joseph, the favorite of Jacob's 12 sons, who is given a colorful cloak — one of many favoring actions that earns the envy of Joseph's 11 brothers, who beat him up and sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites.
Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat is often viewed as an entertaining "spoof" on other musicals — evident in that the pharaoh dresses as an Elvis impersonator and that the song "One Angel in Heaven" takes on a country western theme.
Joseph is played by rising Herndon High senior Alex Dobbs, and the pharaoh is played by recent graduate Christian Peter. Narrators are Tina Booshada, a recent graduate of Herndon, and Courtney Reed, who graduated from Westfield in 2003.
Jason Naujjoum, who graduated from Herndon in 2004 and now attends Emory University in Atlanta, has returned to work as assistant director for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.
"Ever since I was little, I went out to see shows — and I always wanted to be the person on stage," said Naujjoum. "So freshman year I got involved in theater."
AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, Jason is in charge of vocal coaching, designing the program handout, and spreading the word about performances to the greater Herndon community.
Helen Lynn, a rising freshman at Virginia Tech and a graduate of Herndon High, sees the play from a different perspective - she's the stage manager.
Lynn enjoys "the whole production process, from rehearsal to the actual show." She calls cues and writes stage movements for the entire performance.
Marked by lively music and a manner that is "light and fun," theater instructor John Whapman thinks Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat is a great way to relax after a year of serious, more challenging performances.
"The way the show is structured is very comedic, and it has lots of opportunities for humor, word plays, and laughs," said Whapman. "This past season was full of dramatic pieces so this is a totally different style."
Frequent guests of their performances include local theater fans, faculty and — of course — the parents and friends of those performing on stage.
Herndon High School, offering a hands-on approach to theater, has six theater courses — Theater 1, 2, 3 and 4, in addition to Tech 1 and 2.
According to Whapman, most of what students learn in the classroom is leading up to a future performance. This past year, Herndon theater students performed 13 one-act plays and three main stage plays. Whapman also leads an after school program, which uses the same hands-on approach.
Whapman, who grew up in Ohio and now lives in Great Falls, has been teaching theater for seven years and has been teaching full-time at Herndon High School for the past three years.
ALTHOUGH WHAPMAN earned a business management degree, he took every theater class available at his college. Afterwards, he soon discovered that many school systems, including Fairfax County, hire full-time drama teachers. He then decided to seek what he calls his ideal career and went back to school to earn his teaching license.
"It's a great way to work with students on something they are particularly motivated to do," said Whapman. "The kids always get to see the product of their work, and it's a great feeling to see them all fired up after performing."
Despite his modesty, many students have been inspired by Whapman's teaching. "I think he's the most amazing teacher I've ever had; everything I've done in theater I owe to him," said rising Herndon High senior Julian Karlen.
Last year, Whapman began the summer theater camp for the first time at Herndon.
This summer, 40 students are enjoying the four-week summer theater camp that combines Herndon and Westfield students — and according to Karlen, the two schools are blending well together.
"Summer theater is a great opportunity to put on plays without the added pressure of school," said Karlen.
"It's very exhilarating to be up there on stage; its something that's both challenging and fun," he added.
The Westfield theater department, headed by Scott Pafumi, offers ten courses related to theater, production, and theater tech skills.
Scott Pafumi and John Whapman are good friends. They nicknamed their summer theater camp "WhapFumi," combining their two last names.
Herndon and Westfield theater departments both met the recognition of the National Capital area chapter of the Critics and Awards Program, also known as 'Cappies,' at an annual gala held at the Kennedy Center this past June.
Westfield won the award for Best Musical for their performance Fiddler on the Roof this past spring.
Herndon High was nominated for 12 awards and brought home two — one for best female cappie critic Mary Slate, and another for best female vocalist Tina Boosahda for her recent performance in Les Miserables.
This past year, Herndon High also performed Robert Lee and Jerome Lawrence's Inherit the Wind and Frank Shiras Go Ask Alice. Their department delivers five or six performances every year.