Adventure to Orange Lutheran High School for an immersive performance of Still life With Iris
Photo courtesy of @orangelutheranhs Instagram
February 12, 2023
The cast brought to life a girl’s tumultuous journey that led her to discover love, loss, and faith and inspired them through the lively cast’s courage and persistence.
When Iris’ memory coat is removed by Mr. Matternot, the play’s young heroine is thrust from her home in Nocturno and sent on to live with The Goods. After many futile attempts to escape and regain her past, she manages to ban together with unlikely allies Annabelle Lee and Mozart to return to a home she only remembers as a distant memory.
Iris, played by Reagan Larson, had a captivating stage presence and performed her lines with intention. Larson brought an enchanting youthfulness to the stage. Her movements, down to the way she skipped across the stage to her giggle served to immerse audiences into the fantastical plot. Logan Kishi, who portrayed Mr. Matternot displayed a wide range of tones and performed with a captivating projection of voice. He was able to develop the distant dynamic between him and Larson’s character Iris, to show progression and intended character development.
Faith Novak charmed the audience with her portrayal of Annabel Lee. The delivery of her lines, in verse especially, was effortlessly whimsical paired with the way she glided across the stage. When paired with Mozart, Remington Walker’s character, the two became amusing and heartwarming allies for Iris. Walker was authentically engaged with the pops, most notably his piano, and, like Iris, used vivid facial expressions to delight the crowd.
Actor Liam Somerville made use of enunciation, boisterous mannerisms on stage and a trademark guffaw not only brought Grotto Good to life, but caused audiences to burst into uncontrollable laughter throughout the show. Gretta Good, played by Annalise Lockwood, commanded the stage yet exhibited an airy manor to complement Somerville’s exuberant movement. The Memory Mender, played by Melkie Sherman, expressed attention to detail when interacting with his fellow cast members. His interaction with Grotto Good (Liam Somerville) was most notable for his exceptional trembling demeanor. Ashlyn Davies played Iris’ mother and succeeded in bringing a nurturing air to stage through her voice inflection and emotional mien when interacting with actress Reagan Larson.
The productions hair and makeup team excelled at producing natural looks which complemented the actor’s features, however, the continuity was missing when several actor’s lines detailed the prominent red scars on Mr. Matternot’s and later Dad’s (Paxton Lavigne) hands and yet, no scars were depicted on their skin. A nod to stage manager Dylan Aguirre as well Abby Durdella and Cambria Darling who excellently operated 43 projection and 66 lighting and sound cues. Publicity head Lindsay O’leary’s marketing campaign was versatile in media and in execution through creativity behind social media posts and audience engagement on that platform.
Join Iris and the rest of the whimsical cast on their journey throughout Nocturna at Orange Lutheran High School.
Loading ...
