Aliso Niguel High School’s drama department offers a plethora of classes including Actor’s Repertory; an upperclassman class that allows students to produce their own show for the big stage.
On Feb. 27-28, the class performed the play “Pliant Girls”, a modern Greek myth following 50 daughters forcibly betrothed to 50 of their male cousins, who end up being awful. This story features much tragedy, romance and emotion, all under the direction of senior Gabby Tamraz.
Becoming a director for an Actors Repertory show comes with a lot of responsibilities, all handled fabulously under Tamraz’s watch, she shares, “The process was definitely a lot of fun! It is amazing to have a group of people come together to tell a story, and watching new friendships and connections form through this process was such a blessing. Pliant Girls is a very complex show with a lot of heavy topics being introduced in a short amount of time. Because of that, a major thing I wanted to focus on was having the actors really understand their character and let the moments feel genuine. There was a lot of vulnerability and a lot of just raw, honest feeling in this show, and I am so proud of everyone involved for bringing that aspect to life. Pliant Girls is truly such an amazing and gut-wrenching story of humanity and the experiences that shape who we are. I am so grateful to have been able to direct such a beautiful show!”
The cast of the show consisted of ten students, who not only acted, but also worked with a specialized crew to ensure the show was more than just vision.
Actors consisted of: Sara Phan (11), Virgil Poloyapoy (11), Alisa Kalanova (11), Emma Esparza (11), Carrie Collings (11), Daniel Missaghianardakani (12), Madison Rodriguez (12), Kiki Daly (12), Kayana Coachman (12), and Cameron Wheaton (12).
The show was one that would seem like a challenge to most, but the actors took every line, and scene and truly made it their own.
Within Actor’s Rep. shows comes two types a crew including theatrical production students: Keilani Meyer (12), Jackson Cravens (11), Nolan DeWees (11), Angellina Donaldson (11) and Cassidy Gurzi (12), who are all assigned as crew for the show in the beginning of the year, and the running crew: Marina Miayata (11), Olivia Tipaldi (10), Delta Norman (11), Sam Weinick (9) and Kathryn Grecu Klaus (10); who all come in within the last two weeks before the performance to run anything backstage needed.
With such a strong crew and cast it was clear that this performance was going to be a successful one.
The immersive experience that Tamraz created with well-executed lighting and purposeful set pieces such as a rain droplet backdrop, was truly a step into the daughter’s world.
Actor Emma Esparza (11) includes, “The start of Pliant Girls was nerve-wracking since I was still new to acting onstage. Playing Alexander gave me a lot of creative freedom, as I had to create a character beyond the script. It was also my first time playing a male character, so I had to learn more masculine characteristics and mannerisms to really sell my performance as Alexander. I wanted to make his story complex to keep the audience engaged especially since there were so many different personalities from each of the men. Working on this show was not only great, but it also means a lot to me because of its message about manipulation and societal pressure. It discussed numerous societal issues that I feel need to be discussed more in order to make a change in this world. Being in Pliant Girls really helped me grow more confident as an actor and I am forever grateful for this experience!”
Actors such as Sara Phan (11) and Cameron Wheaton (12) executed scenes beyond maturity, sparking romantic scenes with such maturity, which is similarly seen within Rodriguez and Missaghianardakani. Both of those duos excel at creating such excellent stage chemistry with strong emotions.
Courtney, played by Kayana Coachman, resembled such strong characteristics that were portrayed highly within Coachman, as in every scene she presented such dominance over the sisters.
The ensemble of the brothers also was one that sparked humor and lightness to the stage. With Collings expressing flamboyant movements and dialect and Esparza creating comedic choices resembling drunkenness, it brought ease to the stage for such a dramatic show.
Actors such as Virgil Poloyapoy helped create much-needed tension to build the desperation of the sisters. With his crude behavior that was truly perfected, Poloyapoy was what the story needed to form so much motive.
The show was something that showed character, maturity and womanhood. Tamraz took a vision and truly made it her own.
“Pliant Girls” was a beautiful tale of womanhood, and one that will be remembered forever.
