On October 23-25, the CC Theatre held its Fall Play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a play originally written and produced by actor and comedian, Steve Martin. The comedy primarily focuses on the dialogue between the two main characters, Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein, set in a Parisian café. 

The new school director of the play, Mr. Kelly, shared some insights into the behind-the-scenes work and how the cast went about bringing this play to life. The most important thing, Kelly noted, that the crew sought to take away from this performance would be “laughter. Also, the idea that creativity, curiosity, and intelligence are things to be embraced.” Perspectives are different and can change, but “the impulse to question and create are fundamental to the human experience,” and is portrayed through the script of this play, says Kelly. 

Kelly went on to explain that he hardest part for him about this production “has been settling in as the new director. Luckily, there are so many strong student leaders in the theatre community helping me transition into the role,” making the transition an altogether smooth one into our community.

The CC Theatre yet again pulled off another great performance this year. It seems as though the cast consistently finds ways to match students with their characters perfectly, and this performance was no different in how students seemed to fit seamlessly into the script and the characteristics of each role. Kelly explained that “Each actor has found something to connect with in characters…” and “it is a testament to the quality of the writing and more importantly the instincts of the characters.” It was clear at the performances that this play seemed to bring out the natural side of these actors’ abilities, creating an atmosphere of easy joy between characters and actors alike. 

Since this is Mr. Kelly’s first show at CCHS, he couldn’t speak much about the past in his experience, but he did elaborate on how it’s been this year. “From what I have seen, the community in the CC Theatre seems very positive. . . . one of the foundations of that is student ownership of the shows. There are students leading every aspect of production, so there is a sense of communal investment in the outcome.” For those involved with putting this play on, both behind the scenes and on stage, this play truly seemed to be a fulfilling experience to many, given the wonderful turn out from the community and success of the performances as a whole. 

Kelly highlighted how rewarding experience of the play can be, not just in how it welcomes anyone to enjoy it, but also because the performances truly showcase how “all of the students involved in every aspect are putting in so much work. . .” Thanks to the hard work of those involved in the CC Theatre, the performances filled the auditorium with laughter, reminding many of us to be a bit more like Picasso and Einstein and think outside of the sheep-ridden box!