Tehachapi News

THS’ drama students give a ‘Titanic’ performance

“The Titanic — the Tragedy and Trial” a Docu-Play by Playwright Pat Cook, was performed live by students of Tehachapi High School’s Advanced Drama Class and the Drama Club on Nov. 16, 17, and 18, inside the school's new Performing Arts Building.

If you didn't attend, you missed a moment in time to observe THS’ drama students in performances of par excellence and potential greatness — literally. 

Performances by all of the cast members triggered a curious dynamic — a dynamic that moved the stage performance from “special” to “spectacular.” All of the performers rose to their absolute best, following suit in response to the seamless performance given by David Liestman, who became the “gestalt spirit” and catalyst for performing excellence.   

Leistman played the role of J. Bruce Ismay, the Managing Director of the White Star Lines, who booked Titanic’s passengers on the fatal voyage. The role of Ismay was particularly demanding in scenes in which he conveyed the Titanic’s seaworthiness with authoritative assuredness to the ship’s captain, crew and the thousands of passengers of the ill-fated voyage.

Liestman's demanding role included his responses to grilling questioning, masterfully articulated by Sean Kelly in his role as Senator Thomas Andrews, who conducted the Senate hearings into the Titanic disaster on the Congressional floor before the Congressional Delegation (the audience).

On a historical note, according to THS drama teacher Jeanette Crounse, “Ismay was never actually charged. He was 'savaged' in the media and spent the remainder of his life as a recluse suffering, no doubt, from what is today called, 'survivor's guilt'. I had my students do extensive research into the disaster as preparation for this production so that they would be well prepared for their parts. Background research can be an actor's best friend. My students work very hard learning the craft of live theatre performance.”

The stage performances of the additional 32 cast members, including THS' “wonderful” Principal, Mr. Michael Arredondo, who played the role of the Rev. John Harper, were all equally dynamic in exhibiting amazing recall of their lines and an impressive delivery of English and/or “blue-blood” dialect.  

One quickly concluded that these students, more likely than not, sacrificed the bulk of outside interests and extra-curricular activities to rise to the level of excellence demonstrated in these performances.

The production spoke volumes — about the students' passion for their artistic craft, about their focus for detail and about their overall intent of excellence.
There is “genius” at Tehachapi High School, in the form of the Advanced Drama Class, the Drama Club, led by its President, Kaity Crounse, and the crew who contributed equally to the production’s success in setting up the stage props for all the play’s scenes.

“Actually, the play was the fall semester project for the advanced drama class. The technical theatre class does all the tech work; set design and building, sound, light design, make up and costumes. The Drama Club is the support group, and its president worked with the tech crew. The line between the class and the club is not well defined, as most of the students in the class also belong to the club and several club members are not in the class,” according to THS drama teacher, Jeanette Crounse.  

This writer surmises that “the line between the class and the club is not well defined,” according to Crounse, because they're all excellent and a distinction becomes seamless in their performances.

If you know David Liestman (performing as Ismay) and the other star performers, you already know they're special in too many ways to state in the space allowed in news type. The performance was a shining certainty that Crounse's Advanced Drama Class and the Drama Club are at peak performance and well-deserving of the new Performing Arts Building at THS.

If a repeat performance of “Titanic-The Tragedy and The Trial” is ever scheduled, do yourself the favor and don't miss it. You will be in the presence of potential greatness and experience a stark reminder of why the community of Tehachapi, in its entirety, should be proud of Tehachapi High School and support the progressive momentum of the “Future Leaders” educated therein.   

The audience attending the stage performance concurred in the instant critique by its standing ovation and chants of “Bravo!”