You Can't Take It With You [N. Clark]

Delview Secondary has always been known for its spectacular theatrical performances and the talent of the students involved in them. Now, having recently become a Fine Arts school, Delview is going even further. A total of four shows are being put on over the course of the year, though two of them have already run their course; Steel Magnolias and Our Town opened to much success. Next up is the mainstage production, and it promises to be a good one.

You Can’t Take It With You is light-hearted comedy that provides the audience a glimpse into the lives of two very different families and what happens when they finally meet. Alice Sycamore, played by Melissa Taylor, is used to her family’s quirky ways, but she also knows that her boyfriend’s family is radically different. While the Sycamores spend their days pursuing whatever activity makes them happy, be it dancing, writing plays, or playing the xylophone, the Kirbys are much more business minded, and prefer to stay on the straight and narrow. So when it comes time for Tony, played by Matt Franke, to introduce his parents to Alice’s rather extended family, it’s only to be expected that something will go wrong.

This play has been in the works since January, and no small amount of effort has been poured into it. Students who are involved as actors, stage crew, directors and techies have attended rehearsals four days a week, sometimes staying after school as long as six o’clock. Finally, months after the preliminary work began, You Can’t Take It With You is ready to be presented to the world.

Tickets are $8, but students and senior citizens can purchase them at the reduced price of $6. Doors open at 6:30PM on the nights of the performances: April 21, 22 and 23. Boasting an elite cast that are, as Mrs. Hillman, the director, put it, “the cream of the cream” of Delview’s actors, You Can’t Take It With You is a must-see show and one that nobody should miss out on.

Rhinoceros [N. Clark]

One of the most exciting aspects of drama class is the fieldtrips. Previously, Mrs. Hillman would take her students to see performances at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre. That is no longer possible. However, the ever-resourceful drama teacher has managed to work her way around that restriction. Most recently, her drama students from grades ten to twelve had the unique opportunity of visiting the Burnaby campus of the Simon Fraser University in order to watch a free matinee performance.

Written by Eugene Lonesco, Rhinoceros is a highly unusual play. It belongs to a school of drama which was aptly named the Theatre of the Absurd. Unsurprisingly, the premise of the play makes little sense when taken literally.
Over the course of three acts, the inhabitants of a small French town slowly begin to turn into rhinoceroses, one at a time. In the end, the only human being left is Berenger, the town drunk; an amicable, likeable fellow who is in love with one of his co-workers, Daisy. She is the last to succumb to the transformation.

For those who care to look for the deeper meaning of this sort of work, they will find that they are several subtle undertones which relate to the second World War. While the symbolism is not so evident as to nearly strike the audience’s collective face with the force of its intent, those who are more accustomed to searching for it will not find it too deeply hidden.

Berenger summarizes much of the fear felt by those who were being persecuted by the Nazis when he says, “those who try to hang on to their individuality always come to a bad end.” However, he stays true to himself, and refuses to conform. “I will not capitulate!” He cries.

The play was performed amazingly well, by an extremely talented little cast. One of the actors, Stephanie Henderson, assisted Mrs. Hillman and her students with Delview’s production of Grease last year. Those who went on the fieldtrip have Stephanie to thank for the experience, as she was gracious enough to extend the invitation to them.
SFU is home to many talented actors and actresses. Rhinoceros certainly is not the only play that they will perform this year, although it may be the only one that Delview students get to see. Still, if they have the opportunity to do so, dropping in on another performance would not be a waste of time. Almost certainly they would enjoy themselves immensely, and perhaps they might find an important life lesson amongst all the theatrical prose.