What is a Lenaea Festival? It's a "three day festival of high school one-act plays, monologues, scenes, musical theater solos, workshops and special presentations" sponsored by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (sounds fancy, don't it?), and Sac State. I only attended today. I'm not too sure I could take three days worth, but Lindsey is sure excited!
My daughters were part of the drama team representing their high school. The one-act play, Chamber Music, was directed by my daughter Lindsey. She was one of a handful of students to direct plays at the festival. Most were directed by the drama teachers at their respective schools.
Her sister Camie was an actor for this play. She played one of 6 women in a mental institute, all believing they were various female figures throughout history.
Camie playes world explorer and famed cusser Eliza Johnson (in the tank top. I have no idea who Eliza Johnson is, but....). Also present is Joan Of Arc in the armor, and Betsy Ross at the lectern.
Ms. Johnson is also a smoker, and manages to sneak a pack of smokes into the asylum. She passes the smokes out, and of course, being in an insane asylum, they have no fire, and quickly decide smoking without fire just isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Ms Johnson, Mozart's widowed wife, and Joan of Arc of a tense moment.
After the play, the judges took all the participants into a classroom and critiqued the play, and gave pointers to the actors for improving their roles. All very positive, really. The kids did a very good job.
Later, in a classroom setting before two judges, or evaluators, Lindsey performed a monologue. She did a clip from Two Gentleman of Verona, in which poor Julia has just torn up a letter from her dear Proteus.
Julia holds the letter close and kisses the very name of her dear, dear Proteus.
After the first run through (sans glasses), the judges gave their feedback, and Lindsey ran through the monologue again, incorporating some of their suggestions. Lindsey has a very good sense of comedy, as this is a very funny scene, and pulled it off quite well.
Julia (during take two, with glasses), is terribly upset with herself for having torn the letter from her dear Proteus.
Overall, it was a very interesting day. I got to see a side of my children that I don't usually get to see. They spend a lot of time at school working on the play (opening night at school for the one-act I talk about above is next Friday), and I don't get to see rehearsals or such, so when I get to see them in this setting, it makes me very proud.
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