Hoping to kick off next month with a rumble? Hayfield Dramahawks’ upcoming show, “The Outsiders,” featuring two casts, is set to perform at the beginning of February. The first cast, “Stay,” performs on the 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. while the second cast, “Gold” will go on the 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the blackbox theatre.
“The Outsiders,” written by Christopher Sergel takes place during the 1960s in Oklahoma and centers around 14-year old Ponyboy, a greaser whose rivals are the socs. The name “greasers” in this show comes from their signature slicked-back hairstyles, and they are known to be the trouble-making lower class. The socs, or socials, however, are the preppy rich kids who party and get drunk but somehow get away with everything. Throughout the course of this show, Ponyboy and Johnny Cade, another greaser, experience many conflicts with the socs and a rollercoaster of emotions with scenes packed with action, combined with many tear-jerker moments.
Hayfield’s rendition of this coming-of-age play showcases two different casts. The “Stay” cast has freshman Oliver Link playing Ponyboy, with his older brother, Darrel, being played by Junior Benjamin Mutterperl, his younger brother, Sodapop, being played by sophomore Isaac Dorrity, freshman Lyric White as Johnny, and sophomore Wes Forster as the main antagonist, Bob. The “Gold” cast, on the contrary, is an entirely female cast featuring sophomore Maddie Meshanko as Ponyboy, senior Cecelia Dorrity as Darrel, sophomore Sarah Rubalcava as Sodapop, freshman Samantha Haas playing Johnny and sophomore Lucy Roberts as Bob.
Having two separate casts for the show is unprecedented for Hayfield’s drama department. The double-casting gives actors the opportunity to see how someone else would portray their role, helps with deeper character exploration, and doubles acting opportunities. However, there are some difficulties that come with this type of casting.
“The show is double cast,” senior Alison Rygsbee, a stage manager, said. “This means that I have to learn the character choices and blocking of two different performances to get my cues and set transitions correct.”
Having two separate casts can be a challenging task for those working behind-the-scenes as both casts are highly contrasting in their acting interpretations, blocking, and character choices.
“Our cast is an all-female ensemble, so it will be very exciting to see how we portray our characters differently,” Meshanko said.
Throughout the rehearsal process, while Meshanko was exploring her character, one scene really stood out to her.
“There is this one scene near the end of the first act, where Ponyboy gets into an argument with his oldest brother,” Meshanko said. “I think it’s a really pivotal moment in the show and one of my favorite emotional moments to work through.”
Raw, impactful scenes such as this make the show more than just shallow violence between the Socs and Greasers; it’s about family and finding where you belong. Many have felt like an outsider before, and this show explores that search for identity, along with friendship and loyalty, economic disparity, and the consequences of gang violence. “The Outsiders” also challenges stereotypes and encourages others to stay hopeful, curious, and appreciative despite the harsh realities of life.
If you are looking for a show full of impactful and engaging scenes and curious to see how two separate casts explore their roles, you can buy tickets for “The Outsiders”, and remember hawks; stay gold!
