Lights, camera, serve! On Nov. 8, South’s Drama Club brought the Stardust Diner all the way from New York City to the Titan cafeteria. Members transformed into diner staff, gaining practice performing and a unique experience with improvisation.
The Stardust Diner began as a fill in between the fall and winter plays and Improvaganza!, which are others performances the club does throughout the year, Mandi Carrao, Drama Club sponsor said. The diner offered crucial experience for the members while also raising money for the Drama Club’s other activities.
A replication of the diner was set up in the cafeteria and the members of the club worked as “servers” to enhance the idea and experience of being in a real restaurant, Mandi Corrao said. The club provided microphones and speakers for the performers.
“[The members] signed up for performance slots and they will go up with their pre-prepared pieces,” Corrao said. “The goal is to just make it casual and fun and open up the floor for anybody that wants to perform.”
Serving as an opportunity for members to practice improvisation, students are able to build experience performing in front of others in between the bigger productions Corrao said. The requirements for the Stardust Diner performance are very small, helping create an inclusive and exciting experience for everyone interested.
“We were looking for a way to open up the opportunity [of the Stardust Diner] for anybody.” Corrao said. “There was no audition, no criteria [the members] had to fill.”
The Drama Club offers a variety of positions, not onl actors, but students involved in all types of activities, Corrao said. “[Drama club doesn’t only] include people who just like drama and theater,” Corrao said. “People that are on crew, people that know that they want to direct, write, do costumes, or tech someday, can all come and participate, and there’s something for everybody.”
Drama Club helps build strong bonds, members sharing a common interest from different activity backgrounds, Durbin said.
“We have such a tight knit [community], almost like a family,” Durbin said. “Everyone’s so kind to each other and we have so much fun together.”
