Drama Club performs Puffs on Dec. 3 and 4

December 17, 2021

Hailey Christianson, Veritas Web Editor

On Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4, the RHS Drama Club presented their play Puffs.  With Mr. Bergman directing the play, the show was a hit with just under 300 people in attendance.

Puffs is a parody of the Harry Potter books. The main characters are three of the Hufflepuffs who go to Hogwarts with Hannah (Harry) who is played by Leah Leonard. They include: Wayne Hopkins, played by Ben Quinn, Megan Jones, played by Allyson Leary and Oliver Rivers, played by Tri Nguyen. The trio forms a strong friendship as the play covers their seven years at Hogwarts.

McKenna Maher (who plays Leanne) gave some insight on how she thought the play went not only for herself but the whole cast.  

“The play was an amazing experience, especially considering it was the first performance with Rockland High School’s new musical director, Steven Bergman. We had a great ensemble cast with many new performers coming into the trade and they learned everything so amazingly and I think that we did great. I think that the play, especially considering its fast pace and confusing scene configuration, was a bit difficult to learn but executed well by our cast. Overall, I’m very pleased with the outcome and I can’t wait for the spring musical.”

Mr. Bergman also had some information about not just the play but about the students who performed.  

“I was very proud of the work the students did throughout the rehearsal process. Beginning with the initial read through of the script, the students worked every day to become more and more familiar with the lines and the stories that their characters would tell throughout the play. Several of the cast and crew had never participated in a play before, and it was great to watch their progress, and subsequent achievement with their production.”  

Of course, being a director is a difficult job considering all that goes into it as Mr. Bergman explained. “I’ve directed many shows, and every production brings different challenges. At the end of the day, figuring out the challenges that a particular show has, from casting to tech week rehearsals, all go into organizing the rehearsal schedule so that the cast and crew feel prepared for their performances.”

Mr. Bergman is now focused on the spring musical which is just around the corner.  Auditions were held on December 13 for the musical “Shrek”.  

For anyone who is wondering if they can participate, Mr. Bergman says, “Absolutely. Shrek is a very fun musical that has upbeat songs, and tells a wonderful story of acceptance and inclusion.  There are many roles for all skill levels, and we don’t have any cuts, so I hope that many students will want to participate.” 

Being a part of the RHS Drama Club would be a great experience for anyone who wants to be in any field involving acting, or even being on a crew.  

 PUFFS TECH CREW:

 Karen Araujo

Kaitlyn Brown

Nicole Cedrone

John Goncalves

Corinne Medford

Conor Quackenbush

Melindah Taylor

PUFFS CAST 

RHS Student            Character

Elias Carbone – J.FINCH FLETCHLEY (+ others)

Kelly Hamilton – SALLY PERKS (+ others)

Victoria Higgins – SUSIE BONES (+ others)

Seth Jesse – CEDRIC and MR. VOLDY

Allyson Leary – MEGAN JONES

Leah Leonard – HANNAH (+ others)

McKenna Maher – LEANNE (+ others)

Gustavo Noguiera – CLUMSY (+ others)

Tri Nguyen – OLIVER RIVERS

Ben Quinn – WAYNE HOPKINS

Joseph Quinn – NARRATOR (+ others)

Zachary Ryan – ERNIE MAC (+ others)

Front row (L to R) – Allyson Leary, Joey Quinn, Seth Jesse; Middle row – Leah Leonard, Kelly Hamilton, McKenna Maher, Elias Carbone;   Back row – Victoria Higgins, Gustavo Nogueira, Ben Quinn, Tri Nguyen, Zachary Ryan             photo courtesy of Mr. Bergman

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