The Lancaster High School Drama Club presented the play “The Outsiders” over the weekend.  On Friday afternoon, the performers gave a special preview to a select group of students in the auditorium.  Three performances were held for the community on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon.  A literary classic, the play is an adaptation of the novel about a rivalry of teenagers in Oklahoma in the 1960s, in which their bad decisions make for bad situations. LHS Drama director Ryan Metzger indicated that the drama students put their hearts and souls into their characters.

“There are a lot of actors who’ve had to dig deep into emotions to find the raw grittiness of the show.  You’ll see typically hilarious people in a very dark situation, finding their way out. We’ve been rehearsing since September, with set build days weekly to create the back-alley feel for the show. There are some stellar acting performances, and our tech and directing team, consisting of our assistant director, fight director, and dramaturg, have been top-notch,” he said.

LHS sophomore Rey Myers, who played Ponyboy, explained how he prepared for the part.

“Preparing for the audition was really scary! What helped me the most was learning more about my character by rewatching the movie and reading the book, all to better grasp what his personality is like. I read the script for auditions every chance I got, trying to incorporate how Ponyboy would read it,” he said.

“The most challenging part for me is the short back-to-back conversation. Some might think it would be the monologues, but it’s these short pieces of dialogue that really catch me off guard! With monologues, I already have an idea of what to say, but with mini conversations, I have to really rely on my memory,” said Myers.

LHS senior Jaiden Mokas, the fight captain, said that he enjoyed his leadership role and responsibility to help cast members train for their fight scenes. 

“Being fight captain definitely has its challenges, but I feel as if listening to the diverse needs and concerns of our student community and making sure that each actor is comfortable, safe, and heard, along with making sure the fight scenes look real, would be a few of the hardest parts of being a captain,” he said.

“My experience being fight captain has helped me learn that each person has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important to listen to each suggestion, give constructive criticism, and make sure each person is reaching their full potential and is confident in everything they do, from acting to asking follow-up questions to every instruction or critique given,” said Mokas.

LHS junior and student director Calea Hayes said that the crew and cast spent months preparing for their performances.

“Everyone has equal responsibility in the show, whether you are the lead role or you’re just working the spotlights. The show is like a bouquet of flowers. If you remove a single flower, the bouquet would not look the same. Everybody adds their own beauty to the show. Cast, crew, tech, and directors—each and every person has a purpose that cannot be replicated or removed. The dynamic is that we are all equal and each and every person working together is what makes the show so amazing,” she said.

Hayes went on to say that pre-show jitters were a challenge with which the cast and crew had to deal.

“That feeling of excitement and nervousness mixed together can really mess with your mind and body. It’s that fight-or-flight instinct but you choose to fight for a good show and though the nerves may seem like a bad thing, it’s really what drives you to put on your best performance possible. Another challenge we face is making sure every aspect of the show remains cohesive. Lights, audio, set, crew, and cast all have to be in equal harmony and communicate to make sure that the show is able to flow smoothly without error. We spend a lot of time before the show preparing each individual aspect of the tech so that we get the best results possible,” said Hayes.

LHS sophomore Selah Zeuch, who watched the play, expressed her gratitude for the actors and the realistic scenes that they performed.

“I think my favorite scene was when Rey gets slapped; I did enjoy it. It was really shocking and felt so realistic. I think the action scenes were definitely realistic. I thought in the preview, Cian did actually hit him; the acting shocked me, especially with this being Rey’s first show and also did so well. Really, the whole cast shocked me. It felt like professional actors and I cried so much during it,” said Zeuch.

LHS senior Liberty Peterson also said the realism that the actors brought to the stage was impressive.

“The Outsiders was beautifully adapted from book to play; every detail was important. I really enjoyed all of the acting, lights, and even the additions of sounds!  What I loved most was when Darry slaps Ponyboy; that moment of emotion from the buildup of anger on Darry’s side and Ponyboy trying to explain himself, and then the slap happens, the audience gasps, and the moment is silent, and immediately the actors portray how Darry regrets slapping his little brother, and Ponyboy is hurt, and Sodapop is shocked.”

In an Eye of the Gale questionnaire, all of those that responded had positive reactions to the play. LHS freshman Devon Hazlett said that he appreciated that the presentation of the play was accurate to the original story.

“I enjoyed it a lot; it stuck to the original movie and book’s script for the most part and the acting as well as the sets and characters were just how I would imagine they’d look when reading the book.  I liked the creativity of such a small set being used throughout the play as such an open world. I also loved all the actors’ acting; it was almost spot on and I could feel the emotion and effort that they put into their acting. I also loved the scenery (like the lights dimming and such.) I also think the scene where Johnny killed someone was a creative use of the scenes looking like pictures! Overall amazing. I hope there are more plays to watch throughout the years and such. Everyone did fantastic; I was absolutely mind-blown,” he said.

LHS sophomore Shelby Benson said that she thought the play was well cast.

“I thought the characters fit each person’s personality perfectly! It’s one of my favorite books so I was really excited to watch it. I think my favorite part was when they went into the burning church to save the kids because of the fog! I also thought that the way the boards could be taken off was really cool,” she said.