On Nov. 21, CHS theater presented two one act plays: Snow White by Janea Dahl and Snow White and the Seven Entrepreneurs by Robin Blasberg.
Both plays had their own cast of actors and backstage workers drawn from director Sarah Hantuli’s first and sixth periods, with the original version produced by Hantuli’s first period, and the modern rendition produced by sixth period.
Hantuli was excited for the audience to see her students’ work because of “the difference between the classic and modern [plays]. And even though [the cast members are] beginners they’ve been doing very good; so the talent that they have.”
This was the first play of the school year, with the next coming in Spring.
The program started with the classical version of Snow White by Janea Dahl, a creator at Drama Notebook. In this story, the Evil Queen learns from her Magic Mirror that Snow White is fairer than she is. Envious, she sends a Huntsman after Snow White. This leads the young heroine into the care of seven quirky dwarves who try to protect her from the plans of the sneaky queen.
Despite being a classical version of Snow White, the actors and experience of this play was unique.
Jasmine Gomez, who starred as Snow White, shared one takeaway: “Communication is key.”
Naomie Mancillas Bajo–who’s a total opposite of her role as the Evil Queen–shared, “I like that all of us were getting along with each other and comforting each other.”
After the fifteen minute intermission, the audience was treated to the modern version of the fairy tale. Although a different story, this new version of Snow White was just as enjoyable.
In this version, instead of wanting to be the fairest of them all, the evil queen (acted by Kristina Escobar) wants to be the cleverest of them all. She becomes jealous of Snow White (Isabella Hernandez) who runs a better business than her and seeks to ruin it.
For Hernandez this play was beneficial and enjoyable as she gained experience towards achieving her future career of becoming a Broadway star. She was also excited to perform with her best friend Escobar, and even make new friends.
When interviewed, Christopher Arevalos, who played the Huntsman, shared some wise words everyone should follow even if they’re not actors: “Just be yourself and don’t be afraid.”
Each play lasted thirty minutes, with a fifteen minute intermission; a total duration of seventy-five minutes filled with laughs and cheers.