Roxbury Latin’s inaugural Night of Scenes, showing in the Smith Theater on May 16 and 17, had the audience laughing, thinking, and rooting for the characters on stage. This spring’s production came about conceptually from Director of Dramatics Matt Phillips, to provide more students access to the theater program at RL. While fall and winter productions were full-length plays, Night of Scenes showcased 76 boys throughout 16 different skits or scenes, with 10 faculty directors. 

The evening included a wide range: humorous Saturday Night Live reenactments, a heartfelt cinematic snippet from The Sandlot, a dramatic dilemma from The Twilight Zone, original RL-inspired skits, and a musical number from Damn Yankees, to name a few. Many of the boys cast in this production had never participated in the RL theater program before, due to their commitments in other RL extracurriculars and athletics. The bite-sized scenes this spring allowed for less of a time commitment, so boys could take part in the program without committing to a full production. 

The show was produced by Mr. Phillips, with musical direction from Rob Obdycke, technical direction from Dawson Hill, costumes and props by Erin Sutton, and choreography by Lisa Kostur. Due to the show’s overwhelming success, Night of Scenes will become a biennial event, alternating with a standard spring production every other year. RL’s dramatics program continues to grow and evolve, providing more opportunities and access to the theater arts for RL boys.

View Night of Scenes production photos, taken by Marcus Miller, or watch the entire performance of Night of Scenes, withe video production by Evan Scales.

 

JOHN ELIOT’S DREAM

WRITTEN BY MAX KESSELHEIM ’26

DIRECTED BY MR. GOLDEN AND MR. DOERER 

Bobby Beeston ’30

Ben Gallagher ’30

Alex Guadagno ’30

Beckham Holley ’29

Nathan Ihua ’30

Patrick Mitchell ’29 

 

Scene from BILOXI BLUES

DIRECTED BY MR. PHILLIPS 

Romeo Borgida ’28

Michael Corley ’28

Alessandro Frigerio ’28

Max Kesselheim ’26

Chris Vlahos ’26

Jeronimo Yepes ’29 

 

THE GREAT VIVELDO

DIRECTED BY MR. WHITE 

Riley Alqueza ’28

Sid Chopra ’28

Liam Guadagno ’28

Joseph Raposo ’28

Matt Young ’28 

 

FOOTBALL COMES TO MIT

DIRECTED BY DR. DUNN 

Omar Baaj ’28

Henry Grossman ’29

Jasper Hyatt ’28

Maceo King ’28 

 

THAT’S NOT MY BALL

DIRECTED BY MR. MATTHEWS 

Tommy Cloutier ’29

Henry Collier ’29

Luke Conway ’30

Daniel DiLallo ’29

Ryan Guden ’29

Nathan Ihua ’30,  

Caleb Murphy ’30

Leo Venanzi ’29

Anthony Wallace ’29 

 

GEN Z HOSPITAL

DIRECTED BY MS. BUITRAGO 

Rowan Bush ’29

Carys Musto TWS ’30

Austin O’Leary ’28

Michael Rimas ’26

Ben Romano ’28

Kolby Sahin ’28

Adele Touloukian NCDS ’25 

 

POLICE LINE-UP

DIRECTED BY MS. KOSTUR 

Louie Baumal-Bardy ’27

Sid Chopra ’28

Rory Kelly ’28

Alvin Li ’27

Alexander Nanji ’30

Anthony Wallace ’29 

 

THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET from THE TWILIGHT ZONE

DIRECTED BY MR. REID 

Habo Baaj ’26

David Comander ’27

Liam Coyle ’30

Flynn Hall ’27

Jack Kelly ’28

Maceo King ’28

Avish Kumar ’26

Joseph Malley ’30

Nitin Muniappan ’26

Paul Tompros ’27

Liam Walsh ’26 

 

VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER

DIRECTED BY MR. PHILLIPS

Maggie Crowley NCDS ’25

Richie Federico ’26

Max Gaeto ’29

Adele Touloukian NCDS ’25

Liam Walsh ’26 

 

ODD COUPLE POKER SCENE

DIRECTED BY MR. REID 

Will Archibald ’26

Declan Bligh ’26

Michael DiLallo ’26

Gavin Lane ’26

Ryan Molloy ’26

Michael Rimas ’26

Danny Tobin ’26 

 

RL JEOPARDY written by Max Kesselheim ’26

DIRECTED BY DR.DUNN

Alan Archerman ’29

Maeve Cullen UA ’25

Dylan Lane ’29

Evan Pan ’28 

 

SCATTERING REMAINS

DIRECTED BY MR. WHITE 

Liam Coyle ’30

Max Gaeto ’29

Caleb Murphy ’30 

Nico Selvaggio-Wagner ’29

Leo Venanzi ’29 

 

DENNY DOWNER’S FIRST TEAM DINNER 

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MR. POJMAN 

Cat Cole-French NCDS ’25

Auden Duda ’26

Richie Federico ’26

Flynn Hall ’27

Toby Harrison ’27

Warren Hu ’27

Joey Meade ’27

Austin O’Leary ’28

Ethan Shi ’28

Mateo Werner ’26 

 

JUMANJI

DIRECTED BY MR. WHITE 

Bobby Beeston ’30

Sorin Brusseau ’30

Luke Conway ’30

Nikitas Handrinos ’30

Liam Kelly ’30

Kabir Kumar ’30

Joseph Malley ’30 

 

THE JANITOR

DIRECTED BY MR. GOLDEN AND MR. DOERER 

Habo Baaj ’26

James Boccuzzi ’29

Will Erhard ’27

Owen Jamal ’29

Khiomany Ortiz ’26

Nico Selvaggio-Wagner ’29 

 

“HEART” from DAMN YANKEES

DIRECTED BY MR. PHILLIPS

MUSIC DIRECTION BY MR. OPDYCKE

CHOREOGRAPHY BY MS. KOSTUR 

Riley Alqueza ’28

Rowan Bush ’29

Caiden Crowley ’28

Daniel DiLallo ’29

Jack Kelly ’28

Rory Kelly ’28

Max Kesselheim ’26

Teddy LaFond ’28

Dylan Lane ’29

Ryan Miller ’25

Brendan Reichard ’25

Chris Vlahos ’26 

 

CREW

Stage Manager: Raphael Choumert ’28 

Lightboard Operator: Marco Suri ’26 

Soundboard Operator: John Cirasuolo ’28 

Spotlight Operator: Evan Pan ’26 

Costume and Props Assistant: Jordan Bornstein ‘26, Emmanuel Hagan ’30 

 

BUILD CREW 

Sebastian Engler ’29

Mitch Flynn ’26

Nick Galdo ’26

Nathan Ginsburg ’29

Charley Malley ’29

Cormac Mills ’29

Guled Rashid ’29

JP Ward ’26

The audience wondered ‘whodunnit’ until the final moments of Curtains, Roxbury Latin’s winter murder-mystery-musical-comedy-play-within-a-play. On February 28 and March 1, actors and crew brought to life their rendition of the show based on the book and original concept by Peter Stone, later reworked by Rupert Holmes, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Mr. Kander and Mr. Homes in addition to Fred Ebb. The RL production was directed by Mr. Matt Phillips, with musical direction by Mr. Rob Opdycke, choreography by Ms. Lisa Kostur, and design by Ms. Erin Sutton. 

Theatrical Rights Worldwide summarizes the play as a “hilariously suspenseful musical comedy whodunit set in the brassy, bright, and promising year of 1959 when Boston’s Colonial Theatre is playing host to the opening night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady mysteriously dies on stage…the entire cast and crew are suspects. Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a musical theatre fan!” 

The winter play was the result of a community effort, hard work, and long nights from boys, faculty, and staff alike. The play follows the success of RL’s fall rendition of Peter and the Starcatcher. RL’s dramatics program this year has so far served as an ability for boys to explore various areas of production and performance, covering many genres. As Mr. Phillips stated, the fall play and the winter musical “could hardly be more different.”

This spring, RL will host the school’s first Night Of Scenes. After two technically challenging shows this school year, this production will provide a less rigorous opportunity for students to engage in the dramatics program, allowing students to explore new opportunities or interests. “One of my goals is to provide different ways for students to get involved, whether they can give a lot of time to theater, or whether they might like to be on stage but are too busy with other activities to commit to the fall or winter offerings,” Mr. Phillips said.

View Curtains production photos, taken by Mr. Marcus Miller, here. 

 

Cast

Brendan Reichard ’25
Maggie Crowley (NCDS) ’25
Max Kesselheim ’26
Julia Reynolds (TWS) ’25
Ryan Miller ’25
Adele Touloukian (NCDS) ’25
Zayde Martinez (NCDS) ’27
Darian Estrada ’25
Fin Reichard ’26
Liam Walsh ’26
Nick Glaeser ’26
Bruno Kim ’25
Daniel Stepanyan ’25
Tom Pogorelec ’26
Brayden Gillespie ’26
Maeve Cullen (UA) ’25 

Ensemble

Cat Cole-French (NCDS) ’25
Finlay McCormick (NCDS) ’25
Jack Kelly ’28
Jayden Hall ’27,
Liana Min (TWS) ’26
Makenna Devine (UA) ’25
Oliver Colbert ’26
Riley Alqueza ’28
Rory Kelly ’28
Sandy Kario (NCDS) ’26
Sophia Beaver (NCDS) ’25
Teddy Fortuin ’27
Zach Beaver ’27 

Orchestra

Justin Yamaguchi ’24 (Keyboard)
Mr. Ken Opdycke (Drums)
Mr. Greg Sokol (Bass)
Dr. Peter Hyde (Trumpet)
Mr. Daniel Walker (Trombone)
Ms. Angela DiBartolomeo (Horn)
Mr. Shannon Copeland (Reeds)
Mr. Andrés Almirall (Reeds)
Mr. Bruce Hagist (Guitar)
Robbie Sun-Friedman ’25 (Percussion) 

Staff

Stage Manager: Raphael Choumert ’28
Assistant Stage Manager: Chris Vlahos ’26, Omar Baaj ’28 Costume & Props Designer: Ms. Erin Sutton
Costume Props Assistant: Julia Oh (TWS) ’26, Marianne Levitova (TWS) ’25
Sound Designer: Mr. Bryan Brundige
Assistant Technical Director: Austin Reid ’26, Calvin Reid ’25, Joshua Hua ’25, Miles Baumal-Bardy ’25
Lightboard Operator: Paul Tompros ’27
Spotlight Operator: Chris Vlahos ’26, Grant Hedgepeth ’28 

Run Crew

Brian Weeks ’26
Habo Baaj ’26,
Jordan Bornstein ’26
Nitin Muniappan ’26 

Build Crew

Alex Giordano ’25
Alex King ’29
Austin O’Leary ’28
Beckham Holley ’29
Ben Romano ’28
Brian Weeks ’26
Caiden Crowley ’28
Charley Malley ’29
Dylan Lane ’29
Evan Pan ’28
Grant Hedgepeth ’28
Jacob Lando ’29
Jaden Barrack-Anidi ’25
James Boccuzzi ’29
Jasper Hyatt ’28
John Cirasuolo ’28
Joseph Malley ’30
Julian Vidal ’28
Kolby Sahin ’28
Liam Guadagno ’28
Lincoln Hyatt ’26
Luke Conway ’30
Luke Kern ’27
Matthew Young ’28
Nathan Ginsburg ’29
Paul Wilkinson ’25
Raphael Choumert ’28
Robert Flaherty ’29
Sebastian Engler ’29
Tommy Cloutier ’29
Temi Martins Dosumu ’27
Tyler Dearborn ’28

On November 9 and 11, more than 50 actors and crew members brought to life the antics, hilarity, and mishaps of The Play That Goes Wrong, Roxbury Latin’s fall Senior Play, written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields.

This Olivier Award-winning comedy is “a hilarious hybrid of Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes. Welcome to opening night of The Murder at Haversham Manor where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous,” says the show’s site. 

“During the performance—a play within a play—a plethora of disasters befalls the cast, including doors sticking, props falling from the walls and falling apart. Cast members misplace props, forget lines, miss cues, break character, are made to drink white spirit instead of whisky, mispronounce words, step on fingers, and are manhandled off stage. One cast member is knocked unconscious, and her replacement (the group’s technician) refuses to yield when she returns. In another scene, an actor repeats an earlier line of dialogue, causing the other actors to repeat the whole dialogue sequence, ever more frenetically, several times. In the climax, virtually the whole of the remaining set collapses.” (Wikipedia)

Roxbury Latin’s production—directed by Mr. Phillips with technical direction by Ms. Korotkin—packed the Smith Theater both evenings with theater-goers young and old, and laughter rang the whole night through.

View production photos, taken by Mr. Miller.

CAST
Aidan D’Alessandro ‘24
Akhilsai Damera ‘24
Brendan Reichard ‘25
Fintan Reichard ‘26
Habo Baaj ‘26
Leo Bene ‘24
Liam Walsh ‘26
Lucas Connors ‘25
Lucas Vander Elst ‘24
Maeve Cullen (UA) ‘25
Maggie Crowley (NCDS) ‘25
Makenna Devine (UA) ‘25
Max Kesselheim ‘26
Nick Glaeser ‘26
Oliver Colbert ‘26
Ryan Peterson ‘24
Simba Makura ‘26
Sophia Beaver (NCDS) ‘25
Taylor Ehler (TRS) ‘25
Thomas Silva ‘24
Tom Pogorelec ‘26

SET / TECH THEATER CLASS
Alex Giordano ‘25
Andrew Plante ‘27
Austin O’Leary ‘28
Ben McVane ‘25
Benjamin Dearden ‘25
Caiden Crowley ‘28
Charles Malley ‘29
Christo Velikin ‘25
Colin Bradley ‘26
Danny Tobin ‘26
Devan Rajagopalan ‘25
Flynn Hall ‘27
Jacob Lando ‘29
Jaden Barrack-Anidi ‘25
James Gibbons ‘26
JP Ward ‘26
Kevin Brennan ‘25
Liam Russell ‘25
Logan McLaughlin ‘25
Luca Bene ‘26
Michael DiLallo ‘26
Michael Stojny ‘25
Nathan Ginsburg ‘29
Nishant Rajagopalan ‘27
Noah Abdur Rahim ‘25
Rory Kelly ‘28
Ryan Conneely ‘25
Sam Ruscito ‘28
Simon Albrechtskirchinger ‘26
Taylor Cotton ‘25
Timmy Ryan ‘25
Tucker Rose ‘25
Xavier Maricich ‘27
Zach Beaver ‘27

LIGHTING
Dylan Pan ‘26

SOUND
Chris Vlahos ‘26

STAGE MANAGEMENT / RUN CREW
Austin Reid ‘26
Avish Kumar ‘26
Calvin Reid ‘25
Jordan Bornstein ‘26
Joshua Hua ‘25
Miles Baumal-Bardy ‘25
Nitin Muniappan ‘26

Each winter, RL’s youngest, budding actors and crew—from Class VI through Class IV—come together for the production of the annual Junior Play. On February 24 and 25, The Little Prince—by Rick Cummings and John Scoullar, adapted from the beloved book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry—filled the Smith Theater, bringing the classic tale to vivid life.

The story follows a young prince who visits various planets, addressing themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its style as a children’s book, The Little Prince makes observations about life, adults, and human nature. Saint-Exupéry’s most successful work, The Little Prince has sold an estimated 140 million copies worldwide, which makes it one of the bestselling books in history. The work has been translated into more than 500 languages and dialects and has been adapted to many and varied art forms and media.

Director Derek Nelson noted in the show’s program, “My first or second year at RL was the last time that, for the Junior Play, we mounted a stage adaptation of a book that the boys also read in one of their classes. That first time it was The Lord of the Flies—in the Class V curriculum—and some of you may remember that the set looked more like a skateboard park than an island. Plus ça change, as the Aviator might say! Boys who take French read The Little Prince in the Class IV year, and I think it appeals to the philosopher, the poet, and the explorer in all of us. We have taken dramatic liberties with it (‘Really, Mr. Nelson—step ladders?’) because they seem appropriate, given how fanciful and lyrical the story is—and because the stars at night ‘sound like five hundred million bells.’”

From Le Petit Prince:
“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You—you alone will have stars as no one else has them… In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night… You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me… You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure… It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh.”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

View a complete gallery of photos from the production, taken by Mr. Miller.

Cast List
Aviator(s): Liam Walsh, Eric Archerman
The Little Prince(s): Nate Kelly, Austin O’Leary, Luke Kern, Teddy LaFond
The Rose: Toby Harrison
The King: Denmark Chirunga
Conceited Man: Paul Tompros
Businessman: Nicholas Glaeser
Lamplighter: Liam Guadagno
Geographer: Caiden Crowley
Snake: Nitin Muniappan
Fox: Fintan Reichard
Ensemble: Casey Chiang, Toby Harrison, Ameer Hasan, Milan Kapasi, Rory Kelly, Thomas Numa

Tech Crew
Tech Director: Ms. Korotkin
Costume Designer: Joy Adams
Costume Assistant: Cass Martyn-Seidl
Tech Assistant: James Allan
Stage Manager: Cass Martyn-Seidl
Lighting Design: Ms. Korotkin
Light Board Operator: Austin Reid
Sound Design: James Allan
Recorded Music: Instrumental music & sound effects by Rick
Cummings and John Scoullar
Props: Mr. Nelson, Ms. Korotkin, Cass Martyn-Seidl
Sound Board Operators: James McCurley, Chris Vlahos
Set Crew: Ben Romano, John Cirasuolo, Austin Reid, Ajay Devendran, Simon Albrechtskirchinger, Joseph Raposo, Jack Kelly, Kolby Sahin, Matthew Young, Oliver Colbert, Max Goldman
Projector Operator/Run Crew: John Cirasuolo, Chris Vlahos
Production Photographer: Mr. Miller

Over the weekend of November 11 and 12, more than 40 actors brought to life the ideas and emotions, conversations and relationships comprising playwright Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information, Roxbury Latin’s fall Senior Play.

Love and Information is a compilation of 49 short scenes within seven sections, each scene ranging in length from less than a minute to a few minutes long. The seven sections of the play—simply numbered one through seven—must be performed in order, however the many vignettes within each section can be included in whatever order the director chooses. Each scene has a short title, denoting topics as diverse and far reaching as Climate or Dinner, Mother or Spies, God or Dream. The play includes more than 100 characters, however none of the characters are named or gendered, and any can be double cast—as was the case in RL’s production. The script includes very few stage directions, and the scenes can be ordered in any way that the director wishes, allowing for various sequences, structures, or foci. All of this combines to provide a broad scope of creativity for any director or company.

As the play’s director, Derek Nelson, noted in the show’s program: “Scene by scene, and even moment by moment, Churchill drops us into the middle of a multiplicity of contexts involving, among others: friends, lovers, ex-couples, scientists, interrogators, therapists, fans, censors, doctors, journalists—and even a recluse! And what I think she is asking us to think about is: Does our ‘insatiable appetite for information’ diminish our ‘capacity for love’?”

View the gallery of production photos, taken by Mike Pojman.

ONE
SECRET:  Christina Monroe, Tarini Dasari
CENSUS:  Michael Thomas, Bobby Zabin
FAN: Maggie McDonald, Ariana Shokrollahi
TORTURE: John Austin, Nick Martin
LAB: Thomas Savage, Marc Quintanar
SLEEP : Lucas Numa, Lucas Connors
REMOTE: Oliver van den Bosch, Beatrix Picotte

TWO
IRRATIONAL: Jack Sweet, Akhilsai Damera
AFFAIR: Aidan d’Alessandro, Oliver Cook
MOTHER: Christina Monroe, Zach Heaton
FIRED: Thomas Silva, Leo Bene
MESSAGE: Matt Hoover, Nahum Workalemahu
GRASS: Tarini Dasari, Lucas vander Elst
TERMINAL: Christo Velikin, Jack Sweet

THREE
SCHIZOPHRENIC: Marc Quintanar, Thomas Savage
SPIES: Michael Thomas, Bobby Zabin
DREAM: Lucas Connors, Lucas vander Elst
RECLUSE: Ryan Peterson, John Austin, Nick Martin
GOD’S VOICE: Harry Lonergan, Thomas Connolly
THE CHILD WHO DIDN’T KNOW FEAR: Tommy Reichard
STAR: Akhilsai Damera, Dennis Jin

FOUR
WEDDING VIDEO: Tommy Reichard, Brendan Reichard, Michael Allen
SAVANT: Emmanuel Nwodo, Mathias Why
EX: Will Grossman, Christina Monroe
MEMORY HOUSE: James McCurley, Akshay Kumar
DINNER: Gia Bharadwaj, Nahum Workalemahu
PIANO: Dennis Jin, Beatrix Picotte, Michael Allen
FLASHBACK: Tarini Dasari, Matt Hoover

FIVE
LINGUIST: Lucas Connors, John Austin
MATHS: Michael Thomas, Beatrix Picotte
SEX: Marc Quintanar, Tarini Dasari
GOD: Thomas Savage, Nick Martin
RASH: Maggie McDonald, Ariana Shokrollahi
CHILDREN: Lucas Numa, Oliver van den Bosch
SHRINK: Christina Monroe, Bobby Zabin

SIX
THE CHILD WHO DIDN’T KNOW SORRY: Ariana Shokrollahi, Maggie McDonald
CLIMATE: Zach Heaton, Oliver Cook
CENSOR: Jack Sweet, Christo Velikin
WIFE: Beatrix Picotte, Lucas vander Elst
DECISION: Nahum Workalemahu, Matt Hoover
THE CHILD WHO DIDN’T KNOW PAIN: Thomas Silva, Leo Bene
EARTHQUAKE: Aidan d’Alessandro, Akhilsai Damera

SEVEN
CHINESE POETRY: Bobby Zabin, Lucas vander Elst
MANIC: Nick Martin, Akhilsai Damera
FATE: Harry Lonergan, Thomas Connolly
STONE: John Austin, Tommy Reichard
VIRTUAL: Michael Thomas, Thomas Savage
SMALL THING: Bobby Zabin, Lucas vander Elst
FACTS: Lucas Connors, Ryan Peterson

Tech Crew
Tech Director: Ms. Korotkin
Costume Designer: Joy Adams
Costume Assistant: Cass Martyn-Seidl
Tech Assistant: James Allan
Stage Manager: Cass Martyn-Seidl
Assistant Stage Manager: Joshua Hua
Lighting: Owen Butler, Evren Uluer, Ms. Korotkin
Light Board Operators: Owen Butler, Evren Uluer
Sound Design: James Allan
Recorded Music: Violin Concerto II by Philip Glass
Sound Board Operators: Matt O’Connor, Chris Vlahos
Set Crew: James McCurley, Alejandro Rincon, Ryan Peterson, Dominic Landry, Nitin Muniappan, Jed Dougherty, Aydin Hodjat, Jaden Barrack-Anidi, Lincoln Hyatt, Dennis Jin, Mark McGuire, Ryan Lin, Dylan Pan, Chris Vlahos, Tom Pogorelec
Running Crew: Benji Macharia, Miles Baumal-Bardy, Navid Hodjat, Nitin Muniappan
Production Photos: Mr. Pojman

On May 6 and 7, this year’s Junior Play—a production two years in the making—filled the Smith Theater stage at 7:30 p.m. both evenings. Chalk Is Cheap, an original play written by Associate Headmaster Mike Pojman, was intended to be produced in 2020, as part of the school’s 375th anniversary celebration. As with so many other plans, the production had to be put on hold.

Playwright Mr. Pojman writes in the program notes, “I am thrilled and grateful that my friend Derek Nelson took a leap of faith and offered to produce it now, with a little freshening up, to celebrate the school’s 475th—albeit a century early. Without his blind faith, imagination, foresight, and expert direction, Chalk is Cheap would have remained in COVID quarantine permanently.

“I also want to extend my thanks to Brian Buckley, Cass Martyn-Seidl, David Sullivan ’22, Joy Adams, James Allan, Michael Beam, and the many student actors, set builders, and techies who made this production possible. I felt some urgency about writing Chalk is Cheap because, being rather fond of the title, I thought it important that the work be staged before a reference to ‘chalk’ was as unfamiliar to a teenage audience as a rotary phone. It may already be too late—my Fifthie English students have been asking me, ‘We know it’s a pun, but what does it mean?’

“As you will see, my esteemed colleagues Elizabeth Carroll and Jamie Morris-Kliment are fully on board with their loving portrayals in this production, as are my friends Brian Buckley, Jim Ryan, Billy Quirk, George Matthews, Nick Poles, Darian Reid, and Paul Sugg. (Or, they would have been had I consulted them.)

“Finally, let me apologize ahead of time for any inside jokes that may leave you grown-ups baffled. And regarding those that simply fall flat, I would also ask you to allow the equally mystified actors to step over them and move on.”

On the evening of April 7, Roxbury Latin’s students, faculty, and staff had the rare opportunity to attend—as an entire school—a professional theater production at Boston’s Citizens Bank Opera House. Broadway’s acclaimed touring production of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird brought to life, for the school community and fellow theater-goers, the long-time staple of RL’s English curriculum.

Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the novel—combined with exceptional acting and stage design—told the story of summer 1934, in the life of Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and friend, Dill; of Alabama lawyer Atticus Finch defending the falsely accused Tom Robinson; of Calpurnia; of Arthur “Boo” Radley; and of a town—and a nation—plagued by racism. In Sorkin’s adaptation, the call of “All rise” was not simply a charge issued by Judge Taylor during the dramatic courtroom scenes, but also a call to action for audience members, to rise up in the face of injustice.

Before boarding buses to travel from Roxbury Latin into Boston’s Theater District, students enjoyed dinner and a pre-show presentation by Mr. Cervas, English Department Chair, and Mr. Nelson, Director of Dramatics.

First, Mr. Cervas reminded students and adults about Harper Lee’s iconic novel—the context in which it was written; the success of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book in the United States and abroad; its various storylines, characters, and themes; and finally critiques of the novel, especially of Lee’s thinly-drawn representations of Black characters in the book, namely Tom Robinson and his family. Mr. Cervas urged students to pay attention to the character arc of Atticus and how he was portrayed, and to the roles of the various townspeople in the narrative.

Afterward, Mr. Nelson spoke about the film and stage adaptations of the story—specifically, of what’s involved in condensing a 300+ page book into a performance-based work of art. He shared details about the acclaimed 1962 film, adapted by Horton Foote, which won three Oscars and is considered one of the best American films ever made. Dr. Nelson mentioned, as well, some of the challenges that Aaron Sorkin faced in adapting this well-known and powerful 60-year-old story for the theater, in the year 2022.

Finally, Headmaster Brennan—who put into action this all-school trip to take in the traveling Broadway production—reminded students to be aware of the ways in which art can communicate important messages; how different modes of storytelling can reach audiences in different and important ways.

Thank you to the many Roxbury Latin adults who made this adventure possible, especially Mrs. Driscoll and Mr. Reid. And thank you to the remarkable cast and crew of this national touring production. Boston audiences—and RL boys!—are among the first to experience this important and critically-acclaimed play outside of New York City, as it begins a tour of cities across the U.S.