Written by Jennifer Schein

On Sept. 22, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., the wait was over. It was once again time for Plano West theatre. The long awaited show was titled “Marcus is Walking,” a vignette, a show full of short scenes. There are 10 scenes total, all taking place in a vehicle.  Some of the scenes in the show include everything from a family going to admire some fall foliage to school girls running over a chipmunk.

One of the main ploys of the show is that there are scenes that everyone can relate to, such as if you are an actor nervously awaiting an audition, or a person just a little down in your luck and happen to be living in a car. One of the many interesting things about the show is that all the scenes take place in a car, but they all show very different aspects of life.

“It is a fun and simple show that the audience may think ‘Oh, I have been there,’” junior Taylor Owen said.  “At least, that is what we are hoping for. Also, we want the audience members to have an enjoyable evening and watch the silly and zany scenes fold out before them.”

The show is also advanced from a technical standpoint. Gone is the traditional setting of the audience being below and in front of the stage. This production was performed in what is called an intimate thrust setting. The audience was built up around the stage on three sides, reminiscent of a stadium. The tech director is Mr. Norv Sykes, who is responsible for getting the set built.

“It is a unique and animated style of performing that brings the audience closer to the action, almost like a comic book,” junior Tiana Torres Mendoza said.

This show was cast entirely out of the seventh period productions class. Productions is the highest level of theatre at West. It is a class geared towards teaching about and preparing students for college theatre. It is an audition-only class, with students auditioning at the end of the previous year.

After the first show closes, there is still an exciting year of West theatre ahead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       In the fall, the theatre department will be putting on the musical version of Cinderella, which will be open to anyone who wants to audition. Then there will be a one act play in the spring. Last year, they advanced to the State competition. Finally, the sixth period productions class will also put on a performance cast solely out of their class towards the end of the year. The sixth period production class is also very advanced, but it is less geared toward college school theatre, and more toward high school. “Marcus is Walking” is directed by Mr. Grant Goble, who also teaches the seventh period productions class.

“The cast and crew have been working very hard in the limited amount of time that we have had to rehearse and build a show,” Goble said.