When theater comes to mind, it’s usually followed by images of grand auditoriums, giant crowds of people, and stuffy actors performing Shakespeare. For a small group of students, their laughter ringing in Room 1422, also known as the Drama Dance Room (DDR), where they rehearse for the Winter Play, The Princess Bride, this could not be further from the truth.

The Winter Play brings to life the story of Princess Buttercup and her love, Westley, in a stage adaptation of the 1987 movie The Princess Bride, senior Amy Patton, Student Director and actor, said. The play has three performances, one on Nov. 20 and two on Nov. 21., according to the GBS website. The play, directed by English Teacher John Cowlin, usually attracts a different crowd of students, and different vibe than other productions at South, Rosa Nevin, Co-Props and Costumes Director, said.

“A lot of the kids in Winter Play are geared towards that quirky film and TV show medium rather than dramas and plays,” Nevin said. “They’re two different populations. You have the hardcore drama kids, and you have the kids who want to do something different, and then there are some that cross over and do both.”

Winter Play is an opportunity for students who may not usually be involved in the theater department, since Improvaganza!, South’s improvisation show, occurs at the same time, senior Ema Lovric, who plays Princess Buttercup, said. The show provides a different form of theater preformance as opposed to the more traditional Fall Play, Patton explained.

“There’s less of a focus on being the best actor,” Patton said. “If Cowlin sees something in you that he can make work, he will work with it, and make sure that you improve by the end of Winter Play.”

Rehearsals typically take place every day after school in the DDR, Lovric said. The first few rehearsals are dedicated to blocking, the process of learning  the characters’ placements and how they will enter and exit the stage, Lovric added. Then, they start character development, where they figure out how their characters would move and talk, Lovric said. Cowlin works with the cast on their individual scenes to see how to make them better.

“We get a clearer idea of the character and acting decisions we’re making, and that takes this from being a play into more of an experience,”

The best part about the show is interacting with different groups of people at South, Lovric explained.

“The people make it what it is,” Lovric said. “We’re there for each other and for the production. We can’t guarantee that it’s going to be perfect, but we’re there because it’s what we love to do.”