STALKER AT COMIC CON by & for Middle School Actors

What I remember most clearly of the creation of STALKER AT COMICCON back in 2012 was a huddle with my class of 8th graders on the set of the Upper School’s upcoming musical. Working in small groups, sixteen students had created characters who connected to each other in act one, whose relationships reached a crisis point in act two. I said, gravely, “A masked villain is holding a little hostage somewhere in this twenty story hotel. It’s up to you guys to recover the boy safely.” Dramatic pause. I whispered, “Now, go!”

Teams of characters fanned out on the massive Upper School set, up stairs, under the vast platform, behind panels, across the stage. Ten minutes later, they all came back to to tell what they’d found on the roof, in the halls, in the basement.. We devised a plan to rescue the boy, and our script was finished.

This year, the stars aligned to stage a revival of this excellent script. With just a few tweaks to characters’ traits and a few updated references, the script adapted perfectly to the actors who showed up for the first W.arts meeting. In fact, everyone got their own choice for a role.

I think back with gratitude to those eighth graders, now in college; and I’m grateful for the enthusiasm and hard work of the kids onstage today.

[Stalker at ComicCon, or, When Nerds Collide, a comic thriller written by members of The Walker School’s class of 2017: Paul Adkins, William Blakely, Celine Dang, Alex Hardie, Jack Jones, David Kahn, Ashwin Kanuru, Megan Landro, Holland Martin, Keson Paul, Harrison Pritchett, Timmy Riordan, Chase Robertson, Abby Saberi, Bobby Straub, Jordan Tasman, with 8th Grade Drama teacher Mr. Scott Smoot]

[Photos: The set... The curtain call, from the raised perspective of the tech crew]

Characters in order of appearance

DANIELLE WHITE, police detective / Mattie Lou Light
JIMMY, her son, age 10 / Matthew Browning
MARLEY, friend, age 10 / Allie Slipakoff
CONCIERGE / Tessa Allers
RED SKULL / Sophie Severino
ROBERT, bellhop / Bobby Goggin
ALICE, hotel security / Sarah Roper
SALLY / Caroline Turner
PIPER HADAWAY, celebrity / Lila Rathbone
CHANNING, Atlanta girl, age 19 / Mriganayani Rajan
BRITTANY, her friend / Elena Higgins
BILLY / Ty Evangelista
GEORGE DAYBORN, Star Wars fan / Riley Light
GEORGE JOSEPH, Harry Potter fan / Nadia Webster
DYLAN, college guy, age 19 / Dawson Davis
JAKE, his friend / Grant Roman
UNSEEN ELEVATOR OPERATOR, MIchael Opoku - Mensah

Production Staff

Tech Director, Alex Tejedor, class of 2021
Crew: Kendall Brock, Hayden Black, Priya Nath.
Mr. Smoot, Director. 

Yom Kippur 2019: Gates

The Jewish "days of awe" that started ten days ago climax in a day of atonement, a time when I'm told the gates closed to the ancient temple's inner sanctum. As I told EfM fellows at our class Tuesday night, this mid-week holiday that virtually no one else around me shares gives me the world to myself. I've come to love riding my bike on the Silver Comet Trail, now partially covered in leaves, alone with my thoughts. This year, the gate to Fall was especially marked, as we've had the hottest September and October on record.  But suddenly, it was chilly.

This time, the ride was shorter because so many other things have been going on.

My left eye is recovering still from a partial cornea transplant last week, which has eliminated the clouded vision caused by Fuchs Syndrome, and has restored some sharp edges to things that I'd forgotten were there. My own reflection is something of a shock, as I see my skin and hair clearly for what must be the first time in decades.  It's as if I've been looking at analog TV all these years, and suddenly see HD.

I fought early morning traffic to make an 8 a.m. appointment at the veterinarian in Roswell. My lovely dog Brandy, languishing the past three weeks without play or exercise while heartworm treatment did its work in her bloodstream, had eight hours of tests and observation.

Leaving her there, I hurried back to pick up Mom for her eye procedure, an injection to prevent macular degeneration's progress.

The gate for the Yom Kippur ride, then, was narrow. But the sun warmed just in time, and I enjoyed an hour of brisk cycling, picked up Brandy, restored her to home, and moved on to choir.

Posts about Yom Kippur in other years:
• Dementia Diary: Closing a Gate(9.30.18)
  
• Cycling on Yom Kippur(10.13.16)