November 11, 2025 • 36 mins
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the world would not be what it is without the work of William Shakespeare. The playwright not only wrote some of the most recognizable stage pieces, but also fundamentally changed how language was spoken. His words are important, which seems to be one of the threads that weaves its way through International Academy East High School's production of The Book of Will!
In this exclusive Box Seat Babes interview, cast members Ishani Suresh, Sameer Pai, Carlos Elias, and Annika Rönmark discuss what their time on this production and with the drama department at International Academy East High School has been like! Each of these extraordinary actors has had such different journeys to the stage, yet every single one of them has a deep love and respect for the art. What drew them to this show and these characters specifically? What is their process for bringing them to life, and does the weight of history play a hand in dictating how these characters develop? Listen in as all four of these actors discuss what makes this show special and how their teacher has inspired them to give their all!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
So thank you all so much for joining me today to talk about your production of the Book ofWill at International Academy East High School.
(00:06):
How are you all doing?
Good.
Good?
we're doing good I think.
We are glad to hear that.
We got through that intro finally.
oh So you're currently in rehearsals because the show is not until November 22nd and 21st.
Ishani, I want start with you.
How is the production or the rehearsal been so far?
It's been really good.
(00:27):
Honestly, I think this is like one of our smoothest plays at IA just because like once wefirst got off book, like it was like the smoothest off book rehearsal I've seen ever.
And even our director, yeah, she said that that was the cleanest off book rehearsal she'sseen ever in her career, which I thought was kind of crazy.
That's kind of, that has to be like really good feeling.
(00:47):
Yeah.
Carlos, how has it been for you?
so much of the same like going off book it's like okay this is gonna take a little bit ofa step back but we finally made it past that which was incredibly quick because of how
good those off-book rehearsals were we made past that little off-book hump getting intothe emotions and everything has just been so fun like going through blocking it's like why
(01:10):
did I choose to do this and then after that it's like I love this and that's how it's beenfor me right now
Annika what is it kind of like to like get to that point of being off book?
What has it been a easy journey to getting there?
I mean, I guess I'd say we're, think we all have a bias because we're all seniors andwe've done this a bunch of times before.
So we kind of know how it goes.
(01:30):
But even honestly with like the younger cast members that we have in this like play, it'sbeen so much smoother than we had intended it to be.
Like I remember when I was a freshman and a sophomore, like I was in midsummer dream in mysophomore year.
That was like my first major role.
That was like a storm to get through.
When we went off book, it was such a crazy, because there was so much to remember and Ihad no experience with it.
(01:55):
But I think this time around, it's been really awesome to get to like have this kind oflike official experience since we're all kind of, we've been through the run now.
So to have to do this, like to get to do this with all my friends now is like so much funnow that we've all had the hang of it.
Sameer, what is it like now to finally be off book and just rollin' with it?
yeah, to be off book is really wonderful because it's like my least favorite part aboutdrama is memorizing, of course.
(02:21):
And so just to be off book, just to be able to use your hands, you know, to finally beable to like get to the fun part, which is, of course, trying to convey like these
emotions instead of just focusing on.
what I'm saying and when I'm saying it.
So the fact that it's gone so smoothly so far has meant it's like we can focus on thestuff that really matters, you know?
(02:44):
It's kind of like that transition from being like super technical to finding the emotionalaspects of it.
Yeah, yeah, I'd say that.
So I'm going to be very honest with all four of you.
I, when I was approached about interviewing you guys, I knew nothing about the book ofwill.
ah I actually had to do some research.
Your teacher gave me some pretty good information as well.
Carlos, can you kick us off and kind of start us with what is the book of will about?
(03:08):
Alright, so it takes place in, I believe, the early 1600s and it is about the king's menas well as their wives.
uh
helping and aiding to recollect the works of Shakespeare so that they can live on.
And throughout the journey, he goes through character arcs like John's not being willingto go through with it because of the time and the money and the rights.
(03:31):
And I'm the one trying to convince him that it goes through, wait, we might have actualchance at this when we discover the actor's sides and all these lines and places.
And then it's the means to publishing the book, which is where me and John flip.
And I'm like.
no I don't want to publish through that guy and John's like he's our only choice becausethe guy we hate and throughout the throughout the play goes through like what is the
(03:58):
legacy worth how should we accomplish the legacy does it matter how the legacy isaccomplished and I think through during the play John which is Sameer's character outright
says is a legacy worth a life so
think that covers a lot of the main bases of the book of Will
So, Ishani, who are you playing in this story and what is kind their narrative throughoutthe Book of Will?
(04:22):
Yeah so I'm playing Elizabeth Condell who is the wife of Henry Condell who is one of themain actors in The King's Men and her deal is kind of more of a support role for Henry
because uh she's kind of just someone for him to lean on and although she's kind of justlike there to support him she's very much an independent person of her own and she has
(04:44):
like uh her own kind of morals and beliefs about this like putting this play togetherbecause
she's more of like, oh you need to be careful because people might not want to invest inthis book and she's kind of the one taking initiative for Henry to tell him like, hey this
could still be dangerous, like you should watch out for the money and in that she's kindof like, but also make sure you give me a cut too because I'm helping you out.
(05:14):
So what do you feel like is her like main motivator through the show?
I think she also really wants to this book happen.
She says, oh, this is a brilliant tribute and it's a really good idea because sheobviously wants to see this collected work um be there for the public.
(05:36):
And I think she's also really motivated to see um her husband get his dream and live hisdream.
So speaking of Henry, Carlos, you're playing Henry.
So who is Henry to you throughout this narrative?
It sounds like there's quite a bit of a pull with
Yeah, Henry to me is, he's this, I got my sights on what I want to do, and I got my sightson what I don't want to do, and it's gonna go down my way, and anything in the way I gotta
(06:06):
convince people of, and nothing's going to stop me.
So, throughout the entire first act, it's, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, I'm notdoing it through him, I'm doing this my way, and then John is kinda...
the juxtaposition of that words I'm not gonna do this to I think we should do it this wayand although we're best friends we have very conflicting personalities in this and Henry
(06:34):
to me is this like main not antagonist but towards John the way he is the antagonistbecause he wants to do the opposite of everything John wants to do despite wanting the
same thing
So, Sameer you're playing the other half of that then.
You're playing John.
Who is, like, who is John to you, and what's his narrative and also his motivations?
(06:56):
So to me, John is kind of um very pragmatic.
I think a lot of his decisions are just like what is most practical.
um And I think especially at the start, he's a little bit less passionate than Henry aboutthe whole project.
He kind of doesn't want to, like yeah, he thinks Shakespeare is cool and all, but hedoesn't really want to.
(07:23):
put his whole life into this book.
Because at the end of the day, Shakespeare is not famous at this point.
Shakespeare is kind of a no-name playwright.
I think throughout the play, we get lot of contrast between Henry's idealism and John'spragmatism.
(07:44):
it's like, so for me, what I'm trying to bring out in John is kind of that sense of a lotof his doubt.
is based on the fear of failure too.
um But I think the main turning point for him is when his wife Rebecca, who Annika'splaying, kind of convinces him to see the value of these plays and how words can, they
(08:11):
mean more than what they are just in the moment, they can last for a really long time andShakespeare's words really have.
And Annika, that brings us to you.
You're the kind of the last piece of this puzzle.
You're playing Rebecca.
Who is Rebecca to you?
Gosh, when I went to audition, Rebecca was actually who I was hoping to get.
So I could definitely tell you I was quite satisfied when the cast list came out.
(08:32):
But m when I ran through the play, like the first read through, just like, you know, allof us sitting down and reading the script, I just loved some of Rebecca's, like so many of
Rebecca's lines.
They had such a good combination of like wit and just like humor, but also like you couldreally hear even though she was, she's very stern.
with John oftentimes, convincing him, as Sameer said, pushing him to do this book becauseshe believes it's a good idea.
(08:58):
But through that kind of sternness, you can hear how much she cares about him and also howtheir dynamic is so full of love and humor and also just they lean back on each other so,
much.
And I just love that about her.
But I actually see a lot of myself in that.
beautiful.
How do you develop a character like that?
Like where do you begin?
And obviously it begins with what's on the page, but like for you what's kind of theprocess?
(09:21):
Yeah, of course.
As you said, it definitely begins with on the page.
But really, a lot, I think I've had the very fortunate experience of having a lot of myown attributes in a lot of the characters I've played, which is such a privilege to have,
because I can only imagine how difficult it could be to force yourself into a narrativethat you don't fit yourself.
But I think with Rebecca specifically, this dynamic is just something I love portraying,because I think
(09:47):
I actually treat a lot of my friends this way in real life, think.
have lot of the, some of the things that Rebecca says I could see myself saying, like as ajoke to one of my friends.
And I try to portray that in guess a bit more mature way considering Rebecca is an olderwoman.
She's I believe 50 or 60 in the play, maybe more 50.
But I think developing a character like this is something that requires a lot of intensityto like really read through the lines and really like understand.
(10:15):
so many key parts of the play because one line can hinge on so many different reactions orso many different characters all share the same and similar views in this and I think lot
of Rebecca's lines portray a lot of that really, really well.
Ishani how do you develop Elizabeth from script to stage?
Do you have a process for that?
Yeah, it's pretty similar to what Annika was saying about Rebecca, but I kind of take herwords at face value first and then I think like, like how would I, if I were in this
(10:45):
situation, react to this?
And then I kind of consider more of the historical context of what they're doing.
I remember one line, ah I had initially read it as like, she's like degrading this onecharacter, but then my director gave me a note about how
thinking about the historical context in it, uh she was talking about how um drinkingculture was so heavy back then and she wanted to, I originally thought that she was kind
(11:16):
of telling this character off for drinking so much, uh but it was kind of more out ofconcern rather than to reprimand him.
I think considering how Shakespeare had died because of like over use of alcohol.
uh It was important to then take that into account for my character and uh overuse ofalcohol as like a concern rather than like, you shouldn't do that.
(11:45):
You know, speaking of the historical context, do you feel like there is like a change toyour developmental process, like development process at all because these are real people
that have lived a life and that there's like texts on them?
Like, do you find yourself diving deeper into that history to kind of bring uh Elizabethto life?
Yeah, I think so.
we were doing like kind of research on like ages specifically, what type of like settingthey were in and like, if I had kids, like, what were they like?
(12:12):
And like, how old are they?
And I think that kind of brought me into like what I should be feeling and like how matureI was at this point.
And seeing how she handled her finances, like it kind of made me realize like, she's incharge and she's
She knows what she's doing.
Sameer what is kind of your process for developing your character?
(12:34):
then also the same question, ah do you feel like it's a different development processbecause this is based on a real person?
Well, I guess to answer the second part that first, I've kind of been thinking about that,right?
Like, is the fact that they're real people, does that change anything compared to, youknow, fictional characters?
(12:54):
And uh I kind of feel like it doesn't because it's not really a documentary, you know?
It's not like you're sitting down and you're trying to get a factual description ofeverything that happened to the publishing of Shakespeare's plays because that would be
very dry.
um
And I feel like what we're doing is maybe not so much a factual description of events, butit's like the characters we're playing are like, yes, they were real, but they're still
(13:23):
ultimately characters and they serve the author's purpose in some way.
So I've actually tried not to like learn a ton about my character in real life because Ithink it leaves more freedom for creativity and interpretation of like...
how the character of John Hemmings fits in the play versus like trying to be as factual tothe real John Hemmings because there's like a there's a difference there and I don't think
(13:49):
I'm personally I don't feel like I'm playing the real John Hemmings I'm playing thischaracter in this play to serve a specific purpose.
It's an excellent answer.
mean, and that makes sense though, too.
Like you want to be able to be true to the show that you're doing while also getting tokind of make the role yours in a way.
Yeah, I've kind of just treated John as like a kind of a fictional character, which is alittle weird to say considering he's real, but um it's I think it's worked out well for me
(14:16):
so far because it helps me, you know, build my own kind of idea of who John is.
In a way, this is the theater nerd in me, kind of reminds me of how we can take libertiesand do things like a Hamilton or a Six, you know, like, this is a person that lived years
and years and years ago, this isn't someone that's still alive, or telling their storyhere.
(14:38):
So that's kind of cool that you're able to play within that sandbox.
Yeah.
Carlos, how about for you?
How do you bring your character of Henry from page to screen?
Like what is your personal process?
For me, so it always starts for me with the first read through and just looking at whatwords I should try to emphasize.
And then even deeper than that, like after my first look, I'm like really thinking aboutwhat is my character's goal in this scene and then how I can get that to jump off the
(15:06):
paper and get that into an audience's mind.
And I think especially for my character who tracks a lot of jokes, like he has this tropeabout this play called Paraclese and it always gets brought up.
And for me, it's thinking about how can I get that to the audience's mind so that they canlaugh at it?
And then also when it gets deeper, it's...
(15:30):
how can I express my anger or frustration towards blank in order to get that into theaudience?
Like, I always imagine it as if I'm listening to myself, and if I was an audience member,would this be what I would expect from some person's natural speech?
Because obviously we don't want to make it sound like we're acting too hard.
But at the same time, uh...
(15:52):
We need to get that motivation, like my character's motivation, into the audience's mind.
a lot of it is just thinking, and one of our directors who uh supervised one of ourrehearsals this year drilled us particularly on this, like what is your character's goal?
Why are you here?
What are you doing?
And for me, it's mostly thinking about that.
(16:14):
Annika so what is the theme from the show that seems to resonate with you the most?
The theme, gosh.
This is something I've honestly, I was thinking about this even beforehand, because thisis such a complex play to analyze, because I mean, we've discussed it a bit where it's
about real people.
But also, like Sameer was saying, it's for an author's portrayal.
(16:34):
It's their portrayal of these characters.
I think the theme, a theme that really resides with me is persistence throughout thisplay, because I think there's so much of...
either persistence or support.
There's so much of like all of our characters leaning on each other.
And there is so much that needs to be taken into account when we think about like, whatdoes this play mean to us?
(16:57):
What is Lauren Gunderson trying to portray to us?
What is, what are the real people in this play?
What was their goal with this in like taking aside them from this actual play?
But I think for me, what really resonates is the fact that there is so much
So many hurdles that these characters, specifically John and Henry, have to get through tomake this folio of Will's plays become a real thing.
(17:22):
They have to go through so many different printing processes.
It's expensive back in the day.
William Shakespeare, he wasn't this big thing yet.
This is their kind of, they are making Will into this big thing.
And I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for the real characters topersist through in a time like that.
It's just something that I think sticks with me is the fact that they really, even thoughJohn wasn't on board in the beginning, even though Henry was overly on board in the
(17:50):
beginning, in the end they evened it out so well and they made it happen.
persistence, that's a great one.
Sameer, how about for you?
Which one really kind of resonates with you with where you're at right now?
so for me personally, I feel like the part of the Book of Will that is interesting to me,or the most interesting to me, is the fact that it's like a play about plays, right?
(18:13):
And there's like, there's a couple of times where we do like fourth wall breaks, sort of,where it's like we're directly addressing the audience and we're kind of answering the
question of...
why is there an audience even watching this play in the first place, right?
Like, what drives people to come see plays, to read Shakespeare, to do all this?
(18:35):
And uh I think a big part of it was the ability to like feel emotions through stage,through watching plays, and leading to like healing for yourself.
Because I think both John and Henry, they use plays as
kind of an outlet for their emotions and they, through acting, they can deal with a lot oftheir own personal problems.
(19:00):
And so that's what I felt resonated with me the most because it kind of connected to myown personal reasons for enjoying acting in the first place, which is, you know, to
express these emotions that are sometimes hard to express in real life.
sure.
mean, that's also an excellent answer.
We're having some great answers from this.
love this.
Ishani, how about for you?
What themes really stand out to you?
(19:22):
I would have to agree with Sameer I really loved the delving into why is theaterimportant?
And I think that was covered really well through Henry and John.
think Henry has this great monologue about how life is lived on theater.
And you can see so much of yourself just by watching it, let alone even from acting in it.
(19:49):
You get so much, but even just from watching it, you can feel these emotions even biggerthan maybe just like thinking about them.
And I really liked um that.
That was my favorite.
Carlos' monologue makes me cry every time.
He recites it so, so beautifully.
I'm always on backstage.
I'm weeping.
It's so amazing.
(20:10):
Carlos, you got the monologue that everyone's loving.
I appreciate it.
Very fun monologue.
It was in the audition cut.
I was having a blast.
haha
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
All right, Carlos, I didn't forget about you, though.
What themes really stand out to you from the Book of Will that resonate with youcurrently?
So this is kind of.
(20:32):
branching off what Ishani and Sameer just said, but it's just not like just for acting,but the importance of storytelling and the repetition of storytelling and how that makes
us feel over and over again.
Like this is what my monologue touches on, but act, plays end, even if you don't like it,you can go to a different one.
You might like that one.
You can go to the same one that you're in, find it again.
(20:52):
And I just think that's beautiful because it applies not to just plays, but every kind ofstory you read, like any book you could read again and feel lot of the same emotions and
relive it.
And I think ah that's just a beautiful thing about this play that it touches on.
And then one other thing that I'd also like to bring up was what is the legacy worth?
(21:14):
does the end justify the means?
We're going to print through this printer.
Is that worth it?
So that also connects to the legacy part of it that I mentioned earlier.
You know, quite a few of you talked about the importance of theater.
so, Carlos, I'm gonna throw it back to you real quick, but like, maybe not even just howthis show has challenged you, but how have you grown as an actor uh at the International
(21:37):
Academy of East High?
Like, it sounds like you've been through drama club quite a bit here.
I mean, it sounds like you all have, correct?
Yes.
Oh yeah.
across how have you grown?
So I started in my first play.
was lucky enough to play actually a pretty large role, which was Lysander in MidsummerNight's Dream.
And also just to say that, Annika and Ashanti have both been in drama club actually longerthan me.
(22:01):
I started in my sophomore year, so this is my fifth play.
And through these past four plays, I have written on my audition paper that I wanted a...
role that was slightly different from the last every time.
So I started as Life Center, then I believe it was at Doll's House?
I think, yeah, where I played Krogstad, which was very juxtaposing.
(22:23):
And I think being at International Academy East has definitely expanded my range in a hugeway because almost after Doll's House, that was...
Putnam.
That was Putnam.
That was Putnam.
Okay.
It was Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was hugely different from the two plays we haddone before that.
(22:46):
I just feel like I'm really lucky to go to this school where we've done so many differentthings that has allowed me to expand my range because I've been mean, I've been loving,
I've been funny.
I've been all three in one play, which is kind of where we're at right now.
And...
Yeah, I'm just lucky.
I'm happy with how I've grown and the way I've been casted in order to really build me asan actor and help express these emotions and provide emotions to an audience.
(23:15):
Yeah, think Ms.
Russell does, our director does a great job of picking our plays.
think she chooses plays with such variety of emotions and themes and I really love that.
Miss Russell is so amazing.
I love her so much.
She picks such- Every time.
It's never disappointed.
Never.
I was gonna say I got to speak with her ah about Much Ado About Nothing and she has somuch passion for the arts, it's incredible.
(23:42):
yeah.
She should be on Broadway.
Yes, please get her on Broadway.
Did any of you get to go see her in Much Ado?
I was gonna say that was incredible, incredible.
So Ishani you kind of started, like you started your freshman year in drama.
So what has kind of been your journey and how have you grown through this program?
(24:03):
Okay, I started with really small roles at first and I'm very introverted and shy and I'mpretty small as a person.
I'm not really one for uh expressing myself, but I found this outlet and I was completelyenthralled by it.
(24:24):
It was so fun for me because I never have a chance to be big and be bold.
but this was kind of like my one chance to like do it and it just felt so impactful to meand eventually I started getting bigger roles and last year was my biggest yet it was Anne
Frank um and she means a lot to me I think obviously she's a real historical person sojust telling her story was really beautiful to me because it felt like an honor to be able
(24:55):
to like tell her story because it's so important
And I also just saw a lot of myself in her.
And it was, she has like such a wide range of emotions because she's a teenage girl justlike me.
And it was really interesting to see that in a play.
And Shani portrayed Anne beautifully.
She was, she had so many lines.
(25:17):
It was, I remember staying up with her to rehearse some of the lines and we do it onQuizlet to like memorize our lines.
And she would have one line spread out over like three different Quizlet flashcards.
And I would look at it I'm like, my gosh, it was amazing to see that she, she persistedthrough that.
It was pretty inspiring.
I can't lie.
That's really cool.
(25:37):
just spoke to somebody else who they're currently doing the Diary of Anne Frank and theywere saying about how like it is such an emotional range from like top to bottom, you you
kind of cover it all.
Yeah.
So it's really cool that you get to kind of express yourself and grow with those kinds ofroles.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, she has like anger and soft and she's like, she's conveying these really personalevents in her life and obviously very traumatic.
(26:03):
And I think that's so, not only beautiful, but important to share.
Annika, we're going to go to you because you've also been doing this since freshman year.
What has been your journey and how have you grown as an actor in your craft?
Well, I think I'd have to say, to juxtapose Ishani a bit, I am a very extroverted person.
I love to talk.
(26:24):
love to...
Sometimes I'll be a little too loud.
I love to talk.
I love to express myself in any way I can.
And I think when I came into freshman year, I kind of...
Actually, it's so difficult for me to remember how I even got really into drama club.
But I guess I kind of found myself there somehow and kind of like Yashani I started offwith a few small roles.
(26:49):
ah But then I got my big role in sophomore year when I was Hermia to Carlos's Lysanderwhich was such a fun experience.
It's something I look back really fondly on like I'm tearing up right now a little bitbecause it's just such a fond memory for me to play.
was such a time in my life that it's something I'm going to really take with me for a longtime.
(27:10):
I think developing
an actor.
I also in my junior year, unfortunately I didn't participate in Putnam County Spelling Beewhich was a bit disappointing for me because it was a musical but I did get to participate
in Tech Crew 2 so I feel like I've really gotten a really all-around theater experience.
I have to say I love acting a little bit more but I think as an actor I've reallyespecially because of Miss Russell's help she's really helped me
(27:38):
know what to do when I see a character that I'm playing.
Like, obviously, of course, like you said, the first step is reading off the paper andunderstanding what your character's saying on the paper.
But as I get older and as I go through more plays, it comes to me so much easier about howI should do this, what I should do this.
Like freshman year, I think we were all figuring out like how to cheat out into theaudience and how to use our diaphragm to project and making sure that we weren't covering
(28:03):
a character.
But senior year, now that we really have all that down, it allows so much more space to
it.
to really look into your character even more, you have so much less to think about onstage and more to think about in your script and in your character and in your lines.
And I think having that transition from focusing on my stage presence to my character'sstage presence is such an emotional thing for me to go through.
(28:27):
the fact that I get to do it with all my friends and castmates and the fact that I've beenso lucky to have so many, actually this exact cast in so many of the plays, it's so fun to
get to keep that dynamic all throughout those.
What is that, seven plays now?
my gosh, like seven, eight plays.
I mean, that is kind of cool that you get to continue doing this with what becomes some ofyour best friends, you know, like you're building out these shows and stuff.
(28:52):
Sameer, last but not least, what has been your journey in growing here as an actor m indrama club at International Academy High, East High, sorry.
So for me, uh honestly, I was really never into drama, especially my freshman year.
was like, kind of considered it a strange thing to do.
(29:13):
I think the show that caught my interest was uh Midsummer Night's Dream with uh Annika andCarlos, of course.
it was like, I don't know, watching that, I just thought that looks like...
I wasn't very deep, guess.
I just thought it looked really fun.
(29:34):
And I was like, it seems like a new thing to try.
And I love trying new things.
So was like, okay, I'll go ahead and try it out.
So my first play was my second semester of my sophomore year.
And I played Dr.
Rank in A Doll's House.
And I think he was a very kind of interesting character to play because he was like...
(29:55):
He's deeply depressed, but then he was also like extremely drunk a lot.
So he was like, he's a very bipolar character and I kind of, yeah, I liked that a lot.
And then I didn't do drama my junior year, cause I was kind of busy.
But then coming back to this year, I was like having more free time and I was like, okay,you know, I'll, I'll try out for a play.
(30:20):
I honestly did not expect to get Dwayne Rull at all, but um
Yeah, I was like, I'll just go ahead and try it.
And I think this play has, in a lot of ways, like, helped me figure out why I'm doingthis.
Because I never really, like, thought about it that deeply before.
I just kind of was like, okay, yeah, it's fun.
It's cool.
I have a bunch of friends doing it.
(30:40):
But this play, because it's so much about the why of why do we act, why do we see theater,it's helped me figure out that the process of
getting some of those emotions that I have and being able to express that is like acatharsis and it's like something that's important to me.
(31:02):
So yeah, kind of like through this play I've figured out more about why I want to be anactor I guess.
And do you want to continue with acting past high school?
oh I'm not entirely sure yet.
mean the future is always like so uncertain, but Yeah, I'd be interested in it for sure
Sure.
I mean, that was a very, very balancing answer there.
(31:24):
So we appreciate that.
Carlos, what about you?
Do you want to continue acting past this?
Got the acting bug, okay.
You should, I was gonna say, Annika, what about you?
Yeah, I was gonna say, probably, was gonna say, it seems.
such a lovely thing to be able to do.
It's something I see myself doing far into the future.
Of course, my dream is to become an actress, like big movies, something so amazing likethat.
(31:47):
But even if I was just like participating in like community-based theaters, it's somethingI see myself doing in the future and definitely going to see a lot into my adulthood.
So we love that.
So final question for all of you and Ishani I'm gonna start with you is just what are youhoping audiences take away from this production of the Book of Will?
(32:08):
ah Similar to what my favorite theme was, I really hope the audience takes away why wetell stories and why we engage in theater because I think it's so important to feel those
emotions and tell these stories that have such emotional weight to them because it reallyhelps be more in tune with our own emotions and
(32:32):
hear important stories like the diary of Anne Frank for example, that is such an importantstory to tell and I think it was just portrayed in such a beautiful way.
Carlos, what do you want audiences to take away?
Yeah, I don't want to just repeat the same thing she was saying, but I want I definitelywant everybody to think about why they came to the show and Like in the future where are
(32:58):
they gonna go in terms of storytelling?
they gonna watch more plays like I just want to get everybody into theater just going toplays and Another thing is that I really want them to laugh at my paraclete's jinx because
I think they're hilarious uh
Sameer, how about yourself?
Yeah, kind of much of the same.
would uh I would kind of hope that um For someone like myself I would say like two orthree years ago where I never really thought about like I never really thought about
(33:31):
entertainment and like drama all that seriously I was just like Yeah, I think like a playlike this could be a really good like catalyst for
uh especially like some of the younger high schoolers we have, and to start thinking aboutwhy it's important that they express themselves and not just in theater of course, because
(33:53):
maybe theater is not for everyone, maybe not everyone wants to do it, like just ingeneral, the importance of expressing your emotions.
really an answer.
Annika, you're closing us out, so lead us strong of just what are you hoping the audiencetake away from this production.
Gosh, think everyone did such a good job of explaining.
(34:14):
think there's so many important, yeah, there's so many important things that I think weall hope to portray in this play.
Specifically, the why, like what Sameer was saying and what everyone was saying.
There's so much in this play about just like, oh why are we making this folio?
Why are gonna do it if no one's gonna buy it?
Why do we go to see theater?
Why do we do this?
(34:35):
And I think I also share that same wish that even if...
It's not a catalyst for everybody to do theater.
It's a catalyst to get everybody to think, yeah, why am I doing this thing right now?
Why am I here watching this play?
Like, is it for a friend?
Is it because I have an interest in this?
Why am I taking this particular subject right now?
Like, is this something I'm interested in?
(34:56):
There are so many things that I think this play could really kick off for a lot of theyounger audiences watching.
And I also think...
To go back to one of my answers in the questions earlier about the theme of the play thatwas persistence, I hope that people take away that there are so many things that are
possible with persistence.
And of course, I feel like a lot of us are built in with the knowledge that you can do alot of what you put your mind to, but there are realistic roadblocks to a lot of those
(35:23):
things.
And I think this play is such an encouraging factor in, I mean, these people from 1600s,like,
knowing how expensive things were then and how not very popular some plays were and thiskind of entertainment was, they worked together and worked with people they didn't like
and made it happen and that this play shows us why we even know who William Shakespeare istoday.
(35:46):
And I hope that people can take away that like they can do something even if it's not asimpactful as becoming the next William Shakespeare, they can take away that they too can
make a difference in just their own life and in their own future.
All brilliant answers.
I want to thank you all so much for your time.
I know it's late on a school night, so I appreciate you talking with me and taking timeout of your college applications.
(36:08):
So.
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting us.
much for having us.
us.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was a great time.
So the Book of Will plays for two nights November 21st and 22nd at the InternationalAcademy of East High School.
So tickets are priced at $10.
So get your tickets now and we'll see you there.
Yeah, hope to see you guys there.
Thank you so much again.
So thank you all so much for joining me today to talk about your production of the Book ofWill at International Academy East High School.
(00:06):
How are you all doing?
Good.
Good?
we're doing good I think.
We are glad to hear that.
We got through that intro finally.
oh So you're currently in rehearsals because the show is not until November 22nd and 21st.
Ishani, I want start with you.
How is the production or the rehearsal been so far?
It's been really good.
(00:27):
Honestly, I think this is like one of our smoothest plays at IA just because like once wefirst got off book, like it was like the smoothest off book rehearsal I've seen ever.
And even our director, yeah, she said that that was the cleanest off book rehearsal she'sseen ever in her career, which I thought was kind of crazy.
That's kind of, that has to be like really good feeling.
(00:47):
Yeah.
Carlos, how has it been for you?
so much of the same like going off book it's like okay this is gonna take a little bit ofa step back but we finally made it past that which was incredibly quick because of how
good those off-book rehearsals were we made past that little off-book hump getting intothe emotions and everything has just been so fun like going through blocking it's like why
(01:10):
did I choose to do this and then after that it's like I love this and that's how it's beenfor me right now
Annika what is it kind of like to like get to that point of being off book?
What has it been a easy journey to getting there?
I mean, I guess I'd say we're, think we all have a bias because we're all seniors andwe've done this a bunch of times before.
So we kind of know how it goes.
(01:30):
But even honestly with like the younger cast members that we have in this like play, it'sbeen so much smoother than we had intended it to be.
Like I remember when I was a freshman and a sophomore, like I was in midsummer dream in mysophomore year.
That was like my first major role.
That was like a storm to get through.
When we went off book, it was such a crazy, because there was so much to remember and Ihad no experience with it.
(01:55):
But I think this time around, it's been really awesome to get to like have this kind oflike official experience since we're all kind of, we've been through the run now.
So to have to do this, like to get to do this with all my friends now is like so much funnow that we've all had the hang of it.
Sameer, what is it like now to finally be off book and just rollin' with it?
yeah, to be off book is really wonderful because it's like my least favorite part aboutdrama is memorizing, of course.
(02:21):
And so just to be off book, just to be able to use your hands, you know, to finally beable to like get to the fun part, which is, of course, trying to convey like these
emotions instead of just focusing on.
what I'm saying and when I'm saying it.
So the fact that it's gone so smoothly so far has meant it's like we can focus on thestuff that really matters, you know?
(02:44):
It's kind of like that transition from being like super technical to finding the emotionalaspects of it.
Yeah, yeah, I'd say that.
So I'm going to be very honest with all four of you.
I, when I was approached about interviewing you guys, I knew nothing about the book ofwill.
ah I actually had to do some research.
Your teacher gave me some pretty good information as well.
Carlos, can you kick us off and kind of start us with what is the book of will about?
(03:08):
Alright, so it takes place in, I believe, the early 1600s and it is about the king's menas well as their wives.
uh
helping and aiding to recollect the works of Shakespeare so that they can live on.
And throughout the journey, he goes through character arcs like John's not being willingto go through with it because of the time and the money and the rights.
(03:31):
And I'm the one trying to convince him that it goes through, wait, we might have actualchance at this when we discover the actor's sides and all these lines and places.
And then it's the means to publishing the book, which is where me and John flip.
And I'm like.
no I don't want to publish through that guy and John's like he's our only choice becausethe guy we hate and throughout the throughout the play goes through like what is the
(03:58):
legacy worth how should we accomplish the legacy does it matter how the legacy isaccomplished and I think through during the play John which is Sameer's character outright
says is a legacy worth a life so
think that covers a lot of the main bases of the book of Will
So, Ishani, who are you playing in this story and what is kind their narrative throughoutthe Book of Will?
(04:22):
Yeah so I'm playing Elizabeth Condell who is the wife of Henry Condell who is one of themain actors in The King's Men and her deal is kind of more of a support role for Henry
because uh she's kind of just someone for him to lean on and although she's kind of justlike there to support him she's very much an independent person of her own and she has
(04:44):
like uh her own kind of morals and beliefs about this like putting this play togetherbecause
she's more of like, oh you need to be careful because people might not want to invest inthis book and she's kind of the one taking initiative for Henry to tell him like, hey this
could still be dangerous, like you should watch out for the money and in that she's kindof like, but also make sure you give me a cut too because I'm helping you out.
(05:14):
So what do you feel like is her like main motivator through the show?
I think she also really wants to this book happen.
She says, oh, this is a brilliant tribute and it's a really good idea because sheobviously wants to see this collected work um be there for the public.
(05:36):
And I think she's also really motivated to see um her husband get his dream and live hisdream.
So speaking of Henry, Carlos, you're playing Henry.
So who is Henry to you throughout this narrative?
It sounds like there's quite a bit of a pull with
Yeah, Henry to me is, he's this, I got my sights on what I want to do, and I got my sightson what I don't want to do, and it's gonna go down my way, and anything in the way I gotta
(06:06):
convince people of, and nothing's going to stop me.
So, throughout the entire first act, it's, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, I'm notdoing it through him, I'm doing this my way, and then John is kinda...
the juxtaposition of that words I'm not gonna do this to I think we should do it this wayand although we're best friends we have very conflicting personalities in this and Henry
(06:34):
to me is this like main not antagonist but towards John the way he is the antagonistbecause he wants to do the opposite of everything John wants to do despite wanting the
same thing
So, Sameer you're playing the other half of that then.
You're playing John.
Who is, like, who is John to you, and what's his narrative and also his motivations?
(06:56):
So to me, John is kind of um very pragmatic.
I think a lot of his decisions are just like what is most practical.
um And I think especially at the start, he's a little bit less passionate than Henry aboutthe whole project.
He kind of doesn't want to, like yeah, he thinks Shakespeare is cool and all, but hedoesn't really want to.
(07:23):
put his whole life into this book.
Because at the end of the day, Shakespeare is not famous at this point.
Shakespeare is kind of a no-name playwright.
I think throughout the play, we get lot of contrast between Henry's idealism and John'spragmatism.
(07:44):
it's like, so for me, what I'm trying to bring out in John is kind of that sense of a lotof his doubt.
is based on the fear of failure too.
um But I think the main turning point for him is when his wife Rebecca, who Annika'splaying, kind of convinces him to see the value of these plays and how words can, they
(08:11):
mean more than what they are just in the moment, they can last for a really long time andShakespeare's words really have.
And Annika, that brings us to you.
You're the kind of the last piece of this puzzle.
You're playing Rebecca.
Who is Rebecca to you?
Gosh, when I went to audition, Rebecca was actually who I was hoping to get.
So I could definitely tell you I was quite satisfied when the cast list came out.
(08:32):
But m when I ran through the play, like the first read through, just like, you know, allof us sitting down and reading the script, I just loved some of Rebecca's, like so many of
Rebecca's lines.
They had such a good combination of like wit and just like humor, but also like you couldreally hear even though she was, she's very stern.
with John oftentimes, convincing him, as Sameer said, pushing him to do this book becauseshe believes it's a good idea.
(08:58):
But through that kind of sternness, you can hear how much she cares about him and also howtheir dynamic is so full of love and humor and also just they lean back on each other so,
much.
And I just love that about her.
But I actually see a lot of myself in that.
beautiful.
How do you develop a character like that?
Like where do you begin?
And obviously it begins with what's on the page, but like for you what's kind of theprocess?
(09:21):
Yeah, of course.
As you said, it definitely begins with on the page.
But really, a lot, I think I've had the very fortunate experience of having a lot of myown attributes in a lot of the characters I've played, which is such a privilege to have,
because I can only imagine how difficult it could be to force yourself into a narrativethat you don't fit yourself.
But I think with Rebecca specifically, this dynamic is just something I love portraying,because I think
(09:47):
I actually treat a lot of my friends this way in real life, think.
have lot of the, some of the things that Rebecca says I could see myself saying, like as ajoke to one of my friends.
And I try to portray that in guess a bit more mature way considering Rebecca is an olderwoman.
She's I believe 50 or 60 in the play, maybe more 50.
But I think developing a character like this is something that requires a lot of intensityto like really read through the lines and really like understand.
(10:15):
so many key parts of the play because one line can hinge on so many different reactions orso many different characters all share the same and similar views in this and I think lot
of Rebecca's lines portray a lot of that really, really well.
Ishani how do you develop Elizabeth from script to stage?
Do you have a process for that?
Yeah, it's pretty similar to what Annika was saying about Rebecca, but I kind of take herwords at face value first and then I think like, like how would I, if I were in this
(10:45):
situation, react to this?
And then I kind of consider more of the historical context of what they're doing.
I remember one line, ah I had initially read it as like, she's like degrading this onecharacter, but then my director gave me a note about how
thinking about the historical context in it, uh she was talking about how um drinkingculture was so heavy back then and she wanted to, I originally thought that she was kind
(11:16):
of telling this character off for drinking so much, uh but it was kind of more out ofconcern rather than to reprimand him.
I think considering how Shakespeare had died because of like over use of alcohol.
uh It was important to then take that into account for my character and uh overuse ofalcohol as like a concern rather than like, you shouldn't do that.
(11:45):
You know, speaking of the historical context, do you feel like there is like a change toyour developmental process, like development process at all because these are real people
that have lived a life and that there's like texts on them?
Like, do you find yourself diving deeper into that history to kind of bring uh Elizabethto life?
Yeah, I think so.
we were doing like kind of research on like ages specifically, what type of like settingthey were in and like, if I had kids, like, what were they like?
(12:12):
And like, how old are they?
And I think that kind of brought me into like what I should be feeling and like how matureI was at this point.
And seeing how she handled her finances, like it kind of made me realize like, she's incharge and she's
She knows what she's doing.
Sameer what is kind of your process for developing your character?
(12:34):
then also the same question, ah do you feel like it's a different development processbecause this is based on a real person?
Well, I guess to answer the second part that first, I've kind of been thinking about that,right?
Like, is the fact that they're real people, does that change anything compared to, youknow, fictional characters?
(12:54):
And uh I kind of feel like it doesn't because it's not really a documentary, you know?
It's not like you're sitting down and you're trying to get a factual description ofeverything that happened to the publishing of Shakespeare's plays because that would be
very dry.
um
And I feel like what we're doing is maybe not so much a factual description of events, butit's like the characters we're playing are like, yes, they were real, but they're still
(13:23):
ultimately characters and they serve the author's purpose in some way.
So I've actually tried not to like learn a ton about my character in real life because Ithink it leaves more freedom for creativity and interpretation of like...
how the character of John Hemmings fits in the play versus like trying to be as factual tothe real John Hemmings because there's like a there's a difference there and I don't think
(13:49):
I'm personally I don't feel like I'm playing the real John Hemmings I'm playing thischaracter in this play to serve a specific purpose.
It's an excellent answer.
mean, and that makes sense though, too.
Like you want to be able to be true to the show that you're doing while also getting tokind of make the role yours in a way.
Yeah, I've kind of just treated John as like a kind of a fictional character, which is alittle weird to say considering he's real, but um it's I think it's worked out well for me
(14:16):
so far because it helps me, you know, build my own kind of idea of who John is.
In a way, this is the theater nerd in me, kind of reminds me of how we can take libertiesand do things like a Hamilton or a Six, you know, like, this is a person that lived years
and years and years ago, this isn't someone that's still alive, or telling their storyhere.
(14:38):
So that's kind of cool that you're able to play within that sandbox.
Yeah.
Carlos, how about for you?
How do you bring your character of Henry from page to screen?
Like what is your personal process?
For me, so it always starts for me with the first read through and just looking at whatwords I should try to emphasize.
And then even deeper than that, like after my first look, I'm like really thinking aboutwhat is my character's goal in this scene and then how I can get that to jump off the
(15:06):
paper and get that into an audience's mind.
And I think especially for my character who tracks a lot of jokes, like he has this tropeabout this play called Paraclese and it always gets brought up.
And for me, it's thinking about how can I get that to the audience's mind so that they canlaugh at it?
And then also when it gets deeper, it's...
(15:30):
how can I express my anger or frustration towards blank in order to get that into theaudience?
Like, I always imagine it as if I'm listening to myself, and if I was an audience member,would this be what I would expect from some person's natural speech?
Because obviously we don't want to make it sound like we're acting too hard.
But at the same time, uh...
(15:52):
We need to get that motivation, like my character's motivation, into the audience's mind.
a lot of it is just thinking, and one of our directors who uh supervised one of ourrehearsals this year drilled us particularly on this, like what is your character's goal?
Why are you here?
What are you doing?
And for me, it's mostly thinking about that.
(16:14):
Annika so what is the theme from the show that seems to resonate with you the most?
The theme, gosh.
This is something I've honestly, I was thinking about this even beforehand, because thisis such a complex play to analyze, because I mean, we've discussed it a bit where it's
about real people.
But also, like Sameer was saying, it's for an author's portrayal.
(16:34):
It's their portrayal of these characters.
I think the theme, a theme that really resides with me is persistence throughout thisplay, because I think there's so much of...
either persistence or support.
There's so much of like all of our characters leaning on each other.
And there is so much that needs to be taken into account when we think about like, whatdoes this play mean to us?
(16:57):
What is Lauren Gunderson trying to portray to us?
What is, what are the real people in this play?
What was their goal with this in like taking aside them from this actual play?
But I think for me, what really resonates is the fact that there is so much
So many hurdles that these characters, specifically John and Henry, have to get through tomake this folio of Will's plays become a real thing.
(17:22):
They have to go through so many different printing processes.
It's expensive back in the day.
William Shakespeare, he wasn't this big thing yet.
This is their kind of, they are making Will into this big thing.
And I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for the real characters topersist through in a time like that.
It's just something that I think sticks with me is the fact that they really, even thoughJohn wasn't on board in the beginning, even though Henry was overly on board in the
(17:50):
beginning, in the end they evened it out so well and they made it happen.
persistence, that's a great one.
Sameer, how about for you?
Which one really kind of resonates with you with where you're at right now?
so for me personally, I feel like the part of the Book of Will that is interesting to me,or the most interesting to me, is the fact that it's like a play about plays, right?
(18:13):
And there's like, there's a couple of times where we do like fourth wall breaks, sort of,where it's like we're directly addressing the audience and we're kind of answering the
question of...
why is there an audience even watching this play in the first place, right?
Like, what drives people to come see plays, to read Shakespeare, to do all this?
(18:35):
And uh I think a big part of it was the ability to like feel emotions through stage,through watching plays, and leading to like healing for yourself.
Because I think both John and Henry, they use plays as
kind of an outlet for their emotions and they, through acting, they can deal with a lot oftheir own personal problems.
(19:00):
And so that's what I felt resonated with me the most because it kind of connected to myown personal reasons for enjoying acting in the first place, which is, you know, to
express these emotions that are sometimes hard to express in real life.
sure.
mean, that's also an excellent answer.
We're having some great answers from this.
love this.
Ishani, how about for you?
What themes really stand out to you?
(19:22):
I would have to agree with Sameer I really loved the delving into why is theaterimportant?
And I think that was covered really well through Henry and John.
think Henry has this great monologue about how life is lived on theater.
And you can see so much of yourself just by watching it, let alone even from acting in it.
(19:49):
You get so much, but even just from watching it, you can feel these emotions even biggerthan maybe just like thinking about them.
And I really liked um that.
That was my favorite.
Carlos' monologue makes me cry every time.
He recites it so, so beautifully.
I'm always on backstage.
I'm weeping.
It's so amazing.
(20:10):
Carlos, you got the monologue that everyone's loving.
I appreciate it.
Very fun monologue.
It was in the audition cut.
I was having a blast.
haha
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
All right, Carlos, I didn't forget about you, though.
What themes really stand out to you from the Book of Will that resonate with youcurrently?
So this is kind of.
(20:32):
branching off what Ishani and Sameer just said, but it's just not like just for acting,but the importance of storytelling and the repetition of storytelling and how that makes
us feel over and over again.
Like this is what my monologue touches on, but act, plays end, even if you don't like it,you can go to a different one.
You might like that one.
You can go to the same one that you're in, find it again.
(20:52):
And I just think that's beautiful because it applies not to just plays, but every kind ofstory you read, like any book you could read again and feel lot of the same emotions and
relive it.
And I think ah that's just a beautiful thing about this play that it touches on.
And then one other thing that I'd also like to bring up was what is the legacy worth?
(21:14):
does the end justify the means?
We're going to print through this printer.
Is that worth it?
So that also connects to the legacy part of it that I mentioned earlier.
You know, quite a few of you talked about the importance of theater.
so, Carlos, I'm gonna throw it back to you real quick, but like, maybe not even just howthis show has challenged you, but how have you grown as an actor uh at the International
(21:37):
Academy of East High?
Like, it sounds like you've been through drama club quite a bit here.
I mean, it sounds like you all have, correct?
Yes.
Oh yeah.
across how have you grown?
So I started in my first play.
was lucky enough to play actually a pretty large role, which was Lysander in MidsummerNight's Dream.
And also just to say that, Annika and Ashanti have both been in drama club actually longerthan me.
(22:01):
I started in my sophomore year, so this is my fifth play.
And through these past four plays, I have written on my audition paper that I wanted a...
role that was slightly different from the last every time.
So I started as Life Center, then I believe it was at Doll's House?
I think, yeah, where I played Krogstad, which was very juxtaposing.
(22:23):
And I think being at International Academy East has definitely expanded my range in a hugeway because almost after Doll's House, that was...
Putnam.
That was Putnam.
That was Putnam.
Okay.
It was Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was hugely different from the two plays we haddone before that.
(22:46):
I just feel like I'm really lucky to go to this school where we've done so many differentthings that has allowed me to expand my range because I've been mean, I've been loving,
I've been funny.
I've been all three in one play, which is kind of where we're at right now.
And...
Yeah, I'm just lucky.
I'm happy with how I've grown and the way I've been casted in order to really build me asan actor and help express these emotions and provide emotions to an audience.
(23:15):
Yeah, think Ms.
Russell does, our director does a great job of picking our plays.
think she chooses plays with such variety of emotions and themes and I really love that.
Miss Russell is so amazing.
I love her so much.
She picks such- Every time.
It's never disappointed.
Never.
I was gonna say I got to speak with her ah about Much Ado About Nothing and she has somuch passion for the arts, it's incredible.
(23:42):
yeah.
She should be on Broadway.
Yes, please get her on Broadway.
Did any of you get to go see her in Much Ado?
I was gonna say that was incredible, incredible.
So Ishani you kind of started, like you started your freshman year in drama.
So what has kind of been your journey and how have you grown through this program?
(24:03):
Okay, I started with really small roles at first and I'm very introverted and shy and I'mpretty small as a person.
I'm not really one for uh expressing myself, but I found this outlet and I was completelyenthralled by it.
(24:24):
It was so fun for me because I never have a chance to be big and be bold.
but this was kind of like my one chance to like do it and it just felt so impactful to meand eventually I started getting bigger roles and last year was my biggest yet it was Anne
Frank um and she means a lot to me I think obviously she's a real historical person sojust telling her story was really beautiful to me because it felt like an honor to be able
(24:55):
to like tell her story because it's so important
And I also just saw a lot of myself in her.
And it was, she has like such a wide range of emotions because she's a teenage girl justlike me.
And it was really interesting to see that in a play.
And Shani portrayed Anne beautifully.
She was, she had so many lines.
(25:17):
It was, I remember staying up with her to rehearse some of the lines and we do it onQuizlet to like memorize our lines.
And she would have one line spread out over like three different Quizlet flashcards.
And I would look at it I'm like, my gosh, it was amazing to see that she, she persistedthrough that.
It was pretty inspiring.
I can't lie.
That's really cool.
(25:37):
just spoke to somebody else who they're currently doing the Diary of Anne Frank and theywere saying about how like it is such an emotional range from like top to bottom, you you
kind of cover it all.
Yeah.
So it's really cool that you get to kind of express yourself and grow with those kinds ofroles.
Yeah, for sure.
I mean, she has like anger and soft and she's like, she's conveying these really personalevents in her life and obviously very traumatic.
(26:03):
And I think that's so, not only beautiful, but important to share.
Annika, we're going to go to you because you've also been doing this since freshman year.
What has been your journey and how have you grown as an actor in your craft?
Well, I think I'd have to say, to juxtapose Ishani a bit, I am a very extroverted person.
I love to talk.
(26:24):
love to...
Sometimes I'll be a little too loud.
I love to talk.
I love to express myself in any way I can.
And I think when I came into freshman year, I kind of...
Actually, it's so difficult for me to remember how I even got really into drama club.
But I guess I kind of found myself there somehow and kind of like Yashani I started offwith a few small roles.
(26:49):
ah But then I got my big role in sophomore year when I was Hermia to Carlos's Lysanderwhich was such a fun experience.
It's something I look back really fondly on like I'm tearing up right now a little bitbecause it's just such a fond memory for me to play.
was such a time in my life that it's something I'm going to really take with me for a longtime.
(27:10):
I think developing
an actor.
I also in my junior year, unfortunately I didn't participate in Putnam County Spelling Beewhich was a bit disappointing for me because it was a musical but I did get to participate
in Tech Crew 2 so I feel like I've really gotten a really all-around theater experience.
I have to say I love acting a little bit more but I think as an actor I've reallyespecially because of Miss Russell's help she's really helped me
(27:38):
know what to do when I see a character that I'm playing.
Like, obviously, of course, like you said, the first step is reading off the paper andunderstanding what your character's saying on the paper.
But as I get older and as I go through more plays, it comes to me so much easier about howI should do this, what I should do this.
Like freshman year, I think we were all figuring out like how to cheat out into theaudience and how to use our diaphragm to project and making sure that we weren't covering
(28:03):
a character.
But senior year, now that we really have all that down, it allows so much more space to
it.
to really look into your character even more, you have so much less to think about onstage and more to think about in your script and in your character and in your lines.
And I think having that transition from focusing on my stage presence to my character'sstage presence is such an emotional thing for me to go through.
(28:27):
the fact that I get to do it with all my friends and castmates and the fact that I've beenso lucky to have so many, actually this exact cast in so many of the plays, it's so fun to
get to keep that dynamic all throughout those.
What is that, seven plays now?
my gosh, like seven, eight plays.
I mean, that is kind of cool that you get to continue doing this with what becomes some ofyour best friends, you know, like you're building out these shows and stuff.
(28:52):
Sameer, last but not least, what has been your journey in growing here as an actor m indrama club at International Academy High, East High, sorry.
So for me, uh honestly, I was really never into drama, especially my freshman year.
was like, kind of considered it a strange thing to do.
(29:13):
I think the show that caught my interest was uh Midsummer Night's Dream with uh Annika andCarlos, of course.
it was like, I don't know, watching that, I just thought that looks like...
I wasn't very deep, guess.
I just thought it looked really fun.
(29:34):
And I was like, it seems like a new thing to try.
And I love trying new things.
So was like, okay, I'll go ahead and try it out.
So my first play was my second semester of my sophomore year.
And I played Dr.
Rank in A Doll's House.
And I think he was a very kind of interesting character to play because he was like...
(29:55):
He's deeply depressed, but then he was also like extremely drunk a lot.
So he was like, he's a very bipolar character and I kind of, yeah, I liked that a lot.
And then I didn't do drama my junior year, cause I was kind of busy.
But then coming back to this year, I was like having more free time and I was like, okay,you know, I'll, I'll try out for a play.
(30:20):
I honestly did not expect to get Dwayne Rull at all, but um
Yeah, I was like, I'll just go ahead and try it.
And I think this play has, in a lot of ways, like, helped me figure out why I'm doingthis.
Because I never really, like, thought about it that deeply before.
I just kind of was like, okay, yeah, it's fun.
It's cool.
I have a bunch of friends doing it.
(30:40):
But this play, because it's so much about the why of why do we act, why do we see theater,it's helped me figure out that the process of
getting some of those emotions that I have and being able to express that is like acatharsis and it's like something that's important to me.
(31:02):
So yeah, kind of like through this play I've figured out more about why I want to be anactor I guess.
And do you want to continue with acting past high school?
oh I'm not entirely sure yet.
mean the future is always like so uncertain, but Yeah, I'd be interested in it for sure
Sure.
I mean, that was a very, very balancing answer there.
(31:24):
So we appreciate that.
Carlos, what about you?
Do you want to continue acting past this?
Got the acting bug, okay.
You should, I was gonna say, Annika, what about you?
Yeah, I was gonna say, probably, was gonna say, it seems.
such a lovely thing to be able to do.
It's something I see myself doing far into the future.
Of course, my dream is to become an actress, like big movies, something so amazing likethat.
(31:47):
But even if I was just like participating in like community-based theaters, it's somethingI see myself doing in the future and definitely going to see a lot into my adulthood.
So we love that.
So final question for all of you and Ishani I'm gonna start with you is just what are youhoping audiences take away from this production of the Book of Will?
(32:08):
ah Similar to what my favorite theme was, I really hope the audience takes away why wetell stories and why we engage in theater because I think it's so important to feel those
emotions and tell these stories that have such emotional weight to them because it reallyhelps be more in tune with our own emotions and
(32:32):
hear important stories like the diary of Anne Frank for example, that is such an importantstory to tell and I think it was just portrayed in such a beautiful way.
Carlos, what do you want audiences to take away?
Yeah, I don't want to just repeat the same thing she was saying, but I want I definitelywant everybody to think about why they came to the show and Like in the future where are
(32:58):
they gonna go in terms of storytelling?
they gonna watch more plays like I just want to get everybody into theater just going toplays and Another thing is that I really want them to laugh at my paraclete's jinx because
I think they're hilarious uh
Sameer, how about yourself?
Yeah, kind of much of the same.
would uh I would kind of hope that um For someone like myself I would say like two orthree years ago where I never really thought about like I never really thought about
(33:31):
entertainment and like drama all that seriously I was just like Yeah, I think like a playlike this could be a really good like catalyst for
uh especially like some of the younger high schoolers we have, and to start thinking aboutwhy it's important that they express themselves and not just in theater of course, because
(33:53):
maybe theater is not for everyone, maybe not everyone wants to do it, like just ingeneral, the importance of expressing your emotions.
really an answer.
Annika, you're closing us out, so lead us strong of just what are you hoping the audiencetake away from this production.
Gosh, think everyone did such a good job of explaining.
(34:14):
think there's so many important, yeah, there's so many important things that I think weall hope to portray in this play.
Specifically, the why, like what Sameer was saying and what everyone was saying.
There's so much in this play about just like, oh why are we making this folio?
Why are gonna do it if no one's gonna buy it?
Why do we go to see theater?
Why do we do this?
(34:35):
And I think I also share that same wish that even if...
It's not a catalyst for everybody to do theater.
It's a catalyst to get everybody to think, yeah, why am I doing this thing right now?
Why am I here watching this play?
Like, is it for a friend?
Is it because I have an interest in this?
Why am I taking this particular subject right now?
Like, is this something I'm interested in?
(34:56):
There are so many things that I think this play could really kick off for a lot of theyounger audiences watching.
And I also think...
To go back to one of my answers in the questions earlier about the theme of the play thatwas persistence, I hope that people take away that there are so many things that are
possible with persistence.
And of course, I feel like a lot of us are built in with the knowledge that you can do alot of what you put your mind to, but there are realistic roadblocks to a lot of those
(35:23):
things.
And I think this play is such an encouraging factor in, I mean, these people from 1600s,like,
knowing how expensive things were then and how not very popular some plays were and thiskind of entertainment was, they worked together and worked with people they didn't like
and made it happen and that this play shows us why we even know who William Shakespeare istoday.
(35:46):
And I hope that people can take away that like they can do something even if it's not asimpactful as becoming the next William Shakespeare, they can take away that they too can
make a difference in just their own life and in their own future.
All brilliant answers.
I want to thank you all so much for your time.
I know it's late on a school night, so I appreciate you talking with me and taking timeout of your college applications.
(36:08):
So.
Thank you.
Thank you for inviting us.
much for having us.
us.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was a great time.
So the Book of Will plays for two nights November 21st and 22nd at the InternationalAcademy of East High School.
So tickets are priced at $10.
So get your tickets now and we'll see you there.
Yeah, hope to see you guys there.
Thank you so much again.
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