On Friday, April 19th, the MC Drama Club will put on their first full production in years in the Student Center, presenting A Separate Peace, based on the novel by John Knowles. There will also be performances on the 20th and 21st. Some proceeds from the show on Sunday the 21st will be donated to St. Baldrick’s, with director Mr. KC Perlberg and one of the play’s stars, Leonard Siegal, getting their heads shaved after the production.
This is Mr. Perlberg’s first year directing and organizing the Drama Club. Putting on a play was even one of the main things discussed when he joined the MC faculty.
“This has been something that we’ve been talking about for almost eighteen months now, almost since I first sat down with Mr. Conroy and Mr. Tabernacki,” he said. “Well before the school year started part of the vision of what I would be doing here was reviving this very proud program.”
The MC Drama program has been around almost since the school started and held its first production was way back in 1906. Unfortunately, when COVID hit, performances were halted and the Drama Club faded. Now that things are getting back to where they used to be, the plan is for at least one play to be put on annually.
Mr. Perlberg chose to put on A Separate Peace this year not just because it has an all male cast for logistical reasons but also because of how it relates to the students at MC.
“It’s a story that has a lot to do with the types of discussions and growth that we want to have happen to our young men here at Mount Carmel,” he said. “Especially with how they identify as young men, and especially with how they act towards each other. Central to the plot is the journey that two friends go on having to understand and genuinely appreciating each other, genuinely understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, genuinely having affection for each other. Without the need to one up each other, and without the need to feel better than one another. That to me is what separates the brotherhood we talk about here from just a typical friendship.”
A Separate Peace is about the journey of a group of friends set in a boarding school during the start of World War Two. The existence of the war plays a big part throughout the play and the fear of the draft age being lowered to include the characters.
This year, the cast includes seven actors: junior Jason Isais, junior Leonard Siegal, junior Aiden Correa, junior Dominic Mancilla, senior Anastasios Koutsis, freshman Myles Hankton, and Mr. Tim Baffoe ’00. James McCormac leads the crew who will operate the spotlights and stage lights, ensuring a successful production. They include senior John Breakey, freshman Aaron Hyler, freshman Payton Skalnik, and freshman Aubrey Trotter.
The actors have had a lot of fun throughout the difficult process of memorizing lines and sequences and are ready to put on a great show.
“My favorite part is when I get to fall down and break my leg,” said Siegal, whose character suffers a devastating injury. “It’s a whole lot of fun and really gives new meaning to the saying ‘go break a leg.’”
The guys that were in the small production that was done last year are especially excited because of how long they have been waiting to put on a full show.
“I’m excited that the drama department is back at almost full strength, and it’s awesome that we are finally putting on a full production,” said Correa. “I think it would be good to get Carmel more invested in the arts. Maybe next year we will have a spring musical as well.”
All the actors participate in other extracurriculars as well and have been putting in a lot of hours to do this on top of school.
“A challenge I faced was definitely time management,” said Isais. “Immediately after school I would rush over to track practice, and then immediately after that I would come here for rehearsals. I had to balance out doing my homework and memorizing my lines throughout this as well.”
Mr. Baffoe’s participation marks his return to the MC stage twenty-four years after starring in the school production of the musical Damn Yankees his senior year.
“It was the most fun experience I had in my time as a student,” he recalled, “so it’s really great to be part of this again and seeing firsthand MC students having that same camaraderie in the performing arts. The plays are a really important part of MC.”
The whole cast and crew want to get as many people as possible to show up for the performances. They are very excited to put on a great show for everyone and continue the great tradition of drama at the school. MC students and faculty are admitted free, and tickets can be purchased at https://www.mchs.org/students/theater.
