“Game of Tiaras”: Fall is Coming With McClintock Drama’s Latest Production

Makoto Hunter, Web Online Copy Editor

The Fall Play Game of Tiaras opens Thurs., Sept. 10 at 7:00 PM in the Boyle Auditorium, and general admission is five dollars.

Game of Tiaras is a parody-comedy written by Don Zolidis that simultaneously spoofs Shakespeare’s King Lear, popular book and television series A Game of Thrones, and Disney princesses in two acts. Cinderella (senior and Drama President Jada Keyser), the Snow Queen (senior and Drama Publicity Director Whitney Kubal), Belle (junior Skaya Penneau), the King (senior and Drama Representative Makoto Hunter), and Prince Charming (junior and Speech Representative Ben Pope) all fight for control over the magical kingdom of England in an effort to monopolize the island’s resources.

“It has been a very fast process. Because it’s the first play of the year there’s a lot of new actors. It’s been difficult, but we pulled through, and it’s going to be a good show,” Keyser said.

Rehearsals began Aug. 14 and have been held regularly after school since. The show has a large cast of 36, and for a number of students Game of Tiaras is the first show they will have performed in. Additionally, it is Keyser’s first show as Drama president.

“It has been a whirlwind. As Drama President I have to lead warm ups, collect money for pizza, order the pizza – because it’s my first show it was difficult, but it was a good first round, and next show I’ll be even better,” Keyer said.

Ever since Game of Tiaras was chosen as the Fall Play, seventh hour stagecraft and other crew members have worked on constructing the set for the show.

“It’s equal parts wonderful and stressful. It’s wonderful to see something that I’ve created and imagined come to life, but it’s stressful because we’ve only had a month to actually build the entire thing,” senior and Stage Manager Rowen McLeod said.

The set includes a castle in the background along with other miscellaneous locations whose sets are rolled in as needed, including a throne room, dungeon, and bedroom.

“The biggest challenge – we start out with one huge castle, and around the middle of the play we end up with two castles, and it was a little challenging coming up with how to do that. I’m really excited for the audience to see the way we’ve turned the one castle into two castles. It’s a really smooth transformation,” McLeod said.

Recent Game of Tiaras rehearsals have been dedicated to polishing the comic timing along with other elements that contribute to the comedy’s efficacy.

“It’s been really fun. I’m most excited for all the laughs we’ll get, and I’m really excited to wear that big, poofy dress onstage,” Keyser said.

The show runs three nights starting Sept. 10. Performances are at 7:00 PM on Sept. 10 and 11, and the Sat., Sept. 12 performance is at 3:00 PM. General admission is five dollars for students and adults, and all shows are in the Boyle Auditorium.