Rebecca SavranskyCreative Designer

The Northstar Playmakers have begun preparing for the fall drama, The Rose Tattoo, which will premier on November 19 and 20. The Rose Tattoo was written by Tennesee Williams. It is a seri-ous drama about a widow who is trying to cope with her husband’s death and in doing so, ends up completely detaching herself from the rest of society. Her behavior in-fluences her daughter, and the play depicts how the two of them deal with the death of her husband. This year, English teachers Ms. Ginsburg and Ms. Hamara will be directing and producing the show. Both are looking for-ward to the participation of many

new students in the drama. “We have a lot of new faces onstage this year. It’s nice to see so many kids audition for the first time for the play. We have a lot of talent and [many] kids who want to be a part of the drama program,” Ms. Ginsburg said. Differing from previous pro-ductions, this play will be com-pletely student-generated. “There is going to be a focus change from professionals designing and creating the set to students doing the design, building, and painting. This important work will help students build their portfolios for college,” Ms. Hamara said. Northstar Playmakers Presi-dent senior Jackie Abbott will be playing Serafina Della Rose, the lead character who is attempting

to move on after her husband’s death. “I’m really excited to use everything I’ve learned over the years to discover who she is. I love to play and explore, [to] try differ-

ent things at rehearsal and see what works and what doesn’t, which will be especially necessary with Serafina, considering how strong her personality is,” Abbott said. “Tennessee Williams is a consum-

mate playwright; everything the actor needs is right on the page, every adjective and semicolon. I think we’ve got a wonderful cast of all ages and experience levels that will make for a sensational

show,” Abbott said. Other leads include junior Jesse Latorraca as Alvaro, Sera-fina’s lover, and junior Rosemary O’Donnell as Serafina’s daughter, Rosa. Junior McLee Mathias and

senior Skyler Clark are double-casted as Jack, Serafina’s boy-friend. The drama will also be per-formed at the Festival Connection, a competition organized by the Connecticut Drama Association, at Pomperaug High School on March 25 and 26. Twelve other schools in Connecticut will be participat-ing in this competition, and three levels of awards will be given out. Ms. Hamara hopes the judges will be very impressed because the drama is going to be completely student-produced. “I think that this play will be really fun. There are a lot of new people involved in the theatre, and I think this is an amazing chance for an excellent performance,” ju-nior Charlie Ainbinder said.

Talia Robinson, Vice President of Student Affairs“My goal for this year is to create a stronger sense of community between the members and the board. I hope that by the end of the year, we can become a club [whose members are] comfortable with one another.”

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Zoe DePreta, Thespian“I’m responsible for helping our club receive more recognition from the Edu-cational Theatre Association. As a board member, I hope to make our club as a whole feel like a family and be even more supportive of each other than we already are.” Sam Wise, President

“My goal this year is to try to make the Northstars more of a club or commu-nity, where in the past, it has been known only for its ability to ‘crank out shows.’ I am trying to cre-ate more opportunities for people to perform for fun and hope to provide information for aspiring professional performers on the college process. My main goal is basically just to raise awareness of the arts in the community and make every performance a learning experience.”

Ariel Shaulson, Historian“This year we hope to create a bet-ter sense of community within our group, create more performance opportunities, reach out towards the community, and of course put on great shows.”

Jackie Abbott, Vice President“I want to be a source of encouragement for the cultivation of art within our community. We constantly strive to raise the standards of our already-high caliber performances, and I hope that this year will be even more spectacular than the last.”

“We have a lot of new faces onstage this year. It’s nice to see so many kids audition for the first time for the play. We have a lot of talent and [many] kids who want to be a part of the drama program.” —Ms. Ginsburg

Northstar board members share goals for the year

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Lauren Pollack / Photo Editor

A dramatic impact

Production begins on The Rose Tattoo

Jainee DiDonato, Treasurer “My main job is to fundraise and find ways for the club to financial-ly [have the means to] do everything we have planned this year. Even though we are facing a lot of changes this year, I hope to successfully do my job as treasurer and as a senior. Since I was part of this club for three previous years, I hope to help the under-classmen.”

Skyler Ross, Secretary “This year, my goal is to make sure the board is account-able to students, meaning we meet often with members and send out notifications frequently.”