12
entertainment Panther Prowler • May 31, 2019
Jessica Zhou Entertainment Editor Sarena Kabir Staff Writer Charlie Bucket, the nine-year-old boy, walks on stage wearing his overalls and kneehigh socks as he braces himself for a tour that no one could have imagined. Lights on, curtains lifted, the play begins. The spring play, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was successfully showcased in the PAC. A production consisting of around 30 actors started rehearsal at the beginning of March and had their opening show on May 10. Charles Ocampo, senior, played the role of Charlie Bucket. This is Ocampo’s fifth main stage show at NPHS. In order to better act as a nine-year-old, Ocampo gains inspiration from his past experiences with children. “I have worked in Chuck E’ Cheese and I am tutoring little kids right now. I wanted to portray my character as a nine year old through the kids I take care of and the kids that I tutor at work. So I just try and embody the characteristics they have and put myself in my nine-year-old shoes,” Ocampo said. The story takes place in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory where five children are taken on a tour. To better act out the characters, the actors used many ways to bring them back to their childhood selves. During blocking rehearsal, students took the time to play some childhood games. “We would actually play a little game such as charades or duck duck goose, some kind of childhood game like that to make us get
Behold- Aaron Grossman, senior, conveys his enthusiasm in his role as Charlie Bucket while Charles Ocampo, senior, playing Charlie Bucket, and Kobe Burton, senior, playing Charlie’s grandfather, listen attentively. “I wanted to portray my character as a nine year old through the kids I take care of and the kids that I tutor at work,” Ocampo said. The play was performed six times over the course of a week. Aditya Vunnum/Prowler
into the mood of a child. It was really fun,” Ocampo said. There are always actors that have something to struggle with in any production. The amount of work put into their struggles helped them achieve flawlessness for their performances. Aspen Roos, freshman, played Veruca Salt, one of the golden ticket winners.
“The challenge I faced was throwing a fit. I knew I needed to put all of myself out there and really just dive into the character. I was embarrassed at first, but it turned out to be really fun and helped me develop as an actress,” Roos said. Preparing a play is a lot of work. From running lines, being able to put their shoes in
And if you really want money, (Although this may seem totally embarrassing) , getting a summer job is so worth it. Not only does this allocate monetary funds, rather than just “goodwill” and “the giving spirit” to your personal bank account, it is also potentially helpful in scoring a “date”. What we’re really looking from a job is that classic summer fling. On the first day of work, make sure to spot the most attractive employee and start flirting with them instantly. Say cool things like “hey there” and “hey can I have your number” and “hey do you have kik?” If you keep this up, going to work won’t even feel like an ordeal anymore. In terms of fun activities/ sports, you can do those also. For sports, either you can physically do them or you can’t. Some people just don’t have it. If you aren’t good at the mainstream ones like soccer but you still want to list “sports” as a hobby, try something less known like curling. People have heard of it, maybe, but they don’t really understand it so it’s pretty easy for you to pretend you’re
really good at it when you are actually very mediocre. Like, I bet no one you know can name the top 5 nationally ranked curlers. I would give you more suggestions for how to spend your summer, but my brain hurts too much right now. Just remember, stay safe, use your judgment and follow these tips to have the most awesome and productive summer ever. We only have a decade until the Earth blows up, so might as well make the most of it. Toodles!
the characters’ and really, at the end of things, enjoying the play. The actors and actresses worked constantly to bring this play to a presentable condition. All the actors and actresses had to use much of their day in preparation for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Joah Ditto, freshman, had participated in all of the major school plays this school year, and had encountered many long days and nights prepare for these major productions. “(Since March) The cast took a few hours out of their day, everyday, except for Tuesdays, to rehearse the play, and/or learn new blocking for scenes,” Ditto said. “There were two hours of rehearsal every weekday excluding Tuesdays. There was a week of rehearsals that didn’t include the weekends, called “tech week.” This is done for every single show in the theatre world. In tech week, the actors were called from 3:30 p.m. until whenever Mrs. Strange needed us.” The annual spring play is always an opportunity for students who love theatre to find a time to enjoy themselves. From actors, directors, technicians to costume designers, their time and hardwork is what makes the show enjoyable to them and their audience. “My favorite part of the show was the collaboration of every person to create such an energetic and fun show,” Ditto said. “That is something I will always love about the community that the NPHS theatre provides.”
Manas Khatore Features Editor Maya Chari Photographer We’ve finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel. Since August, students have been counting off the days until the last day of school, when we can go home and stay home for the next three months. Personally, I’ll be living in my bed, getting ignored by my friends and contemplating the purpose of my existence. But as most people say, you shouldn’t be like me! Here’s a guide for how to make this summer the best one yet. One good way to spend the summer would be volunteering. You can volunteer for “for profit” organizations, like Exxon mobile or BP, or you can even volunteer for, like, a dog shelter or something. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community, and has flexible scheduling; since you don’t get paid anything, everyone still likes you even if you basically never show up. You can tailor your volunteer schedule to avoid other responsibilities. For example, if your mom asks you to attend the neighborhood block party full of racists, think about it for a second and reply: “Sorry mom, I have to volunteer!”
Aly
ssa
Boe
dig
heim
er/P
row l
er
