By Emily Wallach
Middle school students performed the play “The Man Who Came to Dinner” on Nov. 20-23 in the new Black Box Theater to sold-out audiences in the Bing Performing Arts Center. Over 30 actors in the seventh through ninth grades performed in the play based on a 1930s era story.
“The Man Who Came to Dinner,” directed by middle school acting teacher Foster Solomon, depicts life in a rural Ohio town. In the play, Sheridan Whiteside, a pretentious radio personality, is invited to dine at the house of rich factory owner Ernest Stanley. He breaks his hip when he slips on the icey doorstep of the Stanleysâ and is confined for six tumultuous weeks. Whiteside, played by Hank Doughan â12, plots hilarious prank after prank from his confinement in the living room of the Stanleys.
“I really enjoyed the transformation of myself and my own personality into Whiteside,” Doughan said. “Everyone in âThe Man Who Came to Dinnerâ put their hearts into their roles, and I wanted to do the same and be the best that I could be on that stage.”
Rebecca Hutman â12, who played the role of a radio technician, found acting in the play to be a positive social experience.
“My favorite part of rehearsals was working with friends,” she said. “We bonded so much as a cast and it was a great way to work with people I havenât met before. I think the performances went well and showed our hard work.”
