Staging play is a complicated ‘Quest’
Staff writer
The cast of “Quest! One Play to Rule Them All” is the smallest Leah Rose has seen in her 11 years of directing plays at Hillsboro High School.
With just 13 students and a script split into 10 “mini-plays,” preparing for “Quest!” was daunting.
But the students, Rose said, have stepped up.
“They have enthusiasm, and they work hard, and they want to do things well, and they want to learn and grow,” she said. “It’s been a joy to direct this particular cast.”
The script of the play was written just last year.
It is a kind of fantasy-parody — think “Lord of the Rings” meets “Spaceballs,” all told through the lens of “Arabian Nights.”
“It has nods to fantasy films and novels, video games, role-playing games, a variety of things,” Rose said.
Bowendir the Oracle assembles 10 would-be heroes and attempts to convince them to go on a quest to rescue the Hero of Legend and the Enchanted Lady.
Each would-be hero has an excuse for not going, acted out in a mini-play written by a different playwright.
“It’s definitely unlike anything we’ve done before,” senior Gabbie Arnold said.
The script encourages directors to cut however many mini-plays they see fit. Rose has done just that, discarding five in order to lighten the actors’ load and lessen the play’s runtime.
“They say that it should be around 10 minutes for each of the mini-plays,” she said. “But what we found is once you actually stage it it’s anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.”
The small cast means every actor is playing multiple roles.
“It’s more responsibility for each cast member, but they’ve really stepped up to that,” Rose said.
There also have been logistical challenges.
Rose is attempting to devote the same time to each mini-play, but the scenes are different lengths.
It’s even trickier for the actors in the main story, who frequently are interrupted by the mini-play, to find time to rehearse.
“It’s definitely a lot to memorize and get prepared for,” senior Gabi Sibayan said.
Rose highlighted Arnold as practicing a lot of lines in a short span.
“We knew we could trust her with it,” Rose said. “She’s one of our most experienced performers, and she is definitely one who pursues excellence.”
The play will be the first in the high school’s renovated auditorium. (A musical, “Pride and Prejudice,” was performed in fall.)
Last summer, a new sound system, stage floor, seating area floor, and set of seats were installed.
“I’m hugely thankful for all these amazing updates,” Rose said.
Rose gave a shout-out to Kayla Gallaway, the “props and costumes guru,” who has been key to the cosmetic side of the play.
“She can build the stuff that we need built,” Rose said. “She does graphic design work as well. … She does not get near the credit she deserves.”
The cast has put in the work, and all are excited to see the end product.
“When we have moments where someone makes a mistake, it seems like everybody can laugh about it,” Rose said. “This has been a really joyful group to direct.”
“Quest!: One Play to Rule Them All” will premier Friday at 7 p.m., with a second performance Saturday at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available at vancoevents.com/us/events/landing/52737.