The spotlight glares into your eyes, the audience watches eagerly, the whistle blows, and the question is … whose line is it!? Fairfax County Theatre Sports is a series of competitions that challenge the actor’s ability to create scenes and characters without any preparation. Out of the first three competitions this year, the Chantilly High School Theatre Sports Team has so far received first, second and fourth place awards. This capable team consists of regular members Mike Wilbur, Marley Monk, Jake Ashey, and Jesse Igbokwe, as well as alternates Chris Liotta, Chris Crowley, and Christina Day. Each team member has their own individual talents and abilities to contribute to the team.
Mike Wilbur is 18, a senior, an active participant in Chantilly Theatre, enjoys long soothing bubble baths and could never turn down a good old-fashioned romantic comedy. One of his many favorable attributes is his unparalleled wit and sense of comic timing. When asked pertaining to his method, he replied, “I like to think of myself as Arnold Schwartzeneger, only I get on stage and flex my creative muscles.”
Marley Monk is 18, a senior, a renowned techie in the theatre department, of Peruvian ancestry and engages in popular American pastimes such as deep-cave spelunking. Monk, just like she would a set, specializes in constructing a scene by establishing characters, relationships, and using up variables. When asked about her role on the team she replied, “The best thing I can do is bring out the best in my fellow teammates, and make sure we provide a well-oiled ensemble effort”.
Jake Ashey is 16, a junior, a participating Chantilly thespian, speaks five languages including Portuguese and owns a Guatemalan condor named Alfonso. His area of theatrical expertise can be described as being loud, obnoxious and screaming unintelligible phrases at the audience. Ashey said, “The most admirable thing about Theatre Sports is the audience involvement; the viewers are having as much fun as the actors onstage.”
Jesse Igbokwe is 17, a junior, an actor in the Chantilly department, a common investor in existential art and has an unhealthy obsession with caviar. Igbokwe’s main talents include physical comedy and unmatched facial expressions. When asked how he feels about theatre sports, he said, “Theatre Sports gives meaning to my otherwise dull and meaningless life. It is a little known fact that I have a shrine to the god of improvisation in my closet and that I worship it almost daily.”
The motto of Chantilly Theatre Sports is “no expectations.” Every competition the participants enter focuses not on reputation, prestige or success, but solely on having fun and making sure that the audience had just as much fun as they did. Come see a competition at Robinson Secondary School in the upcoming months and support this wonderful band of performers.