LYNN — Performers at Lynn English High School have had to transition from the stage to film in order to produce “Three In One”, a series of recorded plays being released online this Thursday.
To keep the production COVID-safe, each actor recorded their scenes individually, following a guide audio recording, so that the individual scenes would sync up to create whole scenes with as many as 10 actors. Some were recorded in spaces in the school building, while others were done in front of a green screen.
“It’s been a lot of work,” said Michael Lopez, who directed the show. “Now, we’re in the process of knitting it all back together into a cohesive whole and making it look like actors are interacting with each other, even though they weren’t in the same room together.”
The conditions allowed actors to learn film acting techniques, rather than those used for stage performances.
While some kids had initial doubts about performing on camera, Lopez said that the intimacy of the screen allowed them to give skilled, nuanced performances.
“A lot of the time, the subtlety you need for film is already there,” said Lopez. “So, sometimes kids who struggle with theater, and being as big as you need to be, are ready-made for video. Some actors have been flourishing in this format and I’m starting to see lots of nuance in their performance that I hadn’t seen before.”
The theater department performed another show during the pandemic last year on Zoom, but the process to produce “Three In One” was far more comprehensive.
The three short plays include “The Lost Girl,” or “First Chair” by Lauren Yee, “Old Folks” by Max Posner, and “The Astonishing and Dangerous History of Mazefield the Frog” by Jen Silverman.
Fernando Deleon, a senior playing roles in all three shows — including “the meanest boy on the planet” in “Mazefield the Frog” — also recorded original ukulele music for the production.
He enjoyed accessing a darker side to play “the meanest boy,” he said.“It was great,” Deleon said. “I just loved it. I’m excited to see myself on film, but I’m also a little nervous.”
“It’s easier to act for film,” he added. “You can go back and redo a scene if you don’t like it. Acting on a stage in front of an audience is pretty overwhelming but also exciting. It feels (like) higher stakes.”
Marissa Pacheco, a junior who has been involved in the drama club since her freshman year, performed in all three shows, including a role where she played both girls in a set of twins, Jessica and Messica.
“There’s a scene where it’s just the two twins talking to each other,” she said. “That was probably the hardest part.”
“It’s definitely weird, and much harder, because when you’re on stage with someone you’re able to play off of their energy,” said Pacheco of the transition from live theater to film. “Not having that person there is definitely very difficult. At first, when we started recording, it was kind of awkward because everyone is just staring at you, but the more you practice with it, the more you got a hang of it.”
After her experience acting for the camera, she hopes to pursue more film acting in the future.
This play is free for Lynn English students. Adults can purchase tickets on a “pay-what-you-can” scale. One can watch the show by visiting showtix4u.com and searching for “LEHS Drama Club” from Jan 8-14.
