Around this time of year each year, Rangeview hosts a fun and unique play. This year it was “Metamorphoses”–a collection of myths that display love, greed, and life values.
The entire play was amazing, but the thing that really set it apart from the others was the set–a giant pool that was built on the stage itself. With such a distinctive set, it allowed unique seating displayed around the pool. This was the first time something like this has happened.
Major cast member Roxana Flores Ramirez, a junior, states, “It was really hard to adapt and use the water as a prop because it wasn’t as much as using figure props but like using the water as your set, your prop, as a form of expression, so that was a big difference. ”
The pool was a major part of the play. It was the thing that most students mentioned when trying to convince others to go watch Metamorphoses.
The pool took about two months to make, where students from tech theater or students who just volunteered came together to build it. Students learned how to use water as a prop and created something that could sustain all the water. These two months of work all ended with the creation of a pool that looked like one could jump in and play around in the water.
Although this was a challenge all the actors went to practice each day.
The play consisted of a collection of several different Greek stories surrounding the idea of transformation and how others can transform the ideas of love and greed in their lives. With the idea of transformation in mind, it gives a deeper meaning to the title “Metamorphoses”. “Metamorphoses is something that high schools don’t typically do because of the technical challenges and I thought it would be something different and fun for Rangeview to bring a pool on stage with a waterfall and a raining chandelier,” said director of the play, Doctor Gobal. Metamorphoses means to “change form”, and each scene starts with a character in a difficult situation, and each character gains some sort of development.
In total there were 10 scenes including the myths of Midas, Alcyine and Ceyx, Phaeton and many more.
The play began with Midas, a Greek god who is well known for his foolishness and greed, showing his wealth and wanting more than what he has, this was then heard by Silenus giving Midas a wish. Midas made the wish of having everything he touched turn to gold, however, he did not realize the consequences. . When he said everything should turn into gold, EVERYTHING would — even his own daughter. This scene was later brought up at the end showing Midas’s daughter was no longer gold because he realized love was worth more than gold.
The play then moves onto the next scene where it transforms greed into love. It starts with Alcyone and Ceyx, two people in love. Ceyx has to go away on his ship, but not wanting to be alone, Alcyone does not let him, but he doesn’t listen. His ship was then attacked causing his death. Although this may seem sad after all the crying and sadness of Alcyone, they both end up together at the end; Ceyx is revived and when Alcyone gets near him she turns into a bird and then Ceyx also turns into a bird. This turned from what the audience thought was a tragic ending to a happy ending filled with passion and bliss.
Towards the middle of the play, a new story was shown about just being yourself. Verummus, a man in love with Pomona, tried several different ways to catch her attention. He even went as far as dressing up as an old woman, causing a roar of laughter throughout the audience. In the end, Pomona told him to just be himself.
DeAndre Conner, the senior who played several major roles throughout the play said, “I would say Verummus [was my favorite role] because he has multiple disguises with the last one being an old woman. So it was fun to be able to play an old woman for that short little part.”
Getting to the end of the play, there was a part that seemed a little out of place. Jumping to the scene, with Phaeton talking to a therapist. Thespian Vic Peters walks onto stage with a Hawaiian shirt and a giant floatie. They begin to speak mostly about troubles with their father Apollo.
Although this scene seemed a tad out of place, the actors still put a lot of effort into it and executed the roles extremely well.
Kat Pineda, a senior, who played the therapist in scene 9 states, “I think my most exciting role was probably the therapist because I had a lot of really difficult lines to learn and it was kind of nerve wracking because I didn’t think that I would be able to do it but when I finally did learn my lines I was like ‘Holy crap, I just did that!’”
Overall, the play was great! There were scenes where the audience can feel the transformation, as if Greek gods were actually right in front of them. The only part that could be confusing is knowing when the characters got into a new scene. All of a sudden actors were dressed up as a different character telling a new story that was heartfelt or funny. It was especially difficult because many of the actors played many different roles. But after a few scenes, people tend to get the idea.
Metamorphoses was something different and unique that many students enjoyed performing and watching. Hopefully this opens up many doors involving theater at Rangeview.
For more information check out the official publication here!
