This year, the Pine View Drama Club transformed the auditorium into a land of whimsy and magic. On Nov. 6 and 7, Drama Club put on the production of the novel “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. Eleventh-grader Foster Swartz and twelfth-grader Flora Lehman directed the play hoping to reach a younger audience at the school.
“The Phantom Tollbooth” is about a young boy named Milo who is bored by his life, until one day a magical tollbooth appears suddenly in his room. He hops in his car and travels to the Lands Beyond. After learning numbers and letters in Digitopolis and saving the queens, Rhythm and Reason, Milo ends up back in his room to find that he only spent an hour in the Lands Beyond. Ultimately, he learns about the importance of time and to never waste it.
Milo was played by eighth-grader Gregory Karcz. Karcz stated, “I’m so happy I got the role as Milo. It was such a fun experience and everyone is so awesome.” Karcz has also been in the production of “Peace Blossom” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” but has never gotten a major role like Milo.
The directors, Swartz and Lehman, spent six weeks working on the play. Swartz said, “The experience of directing the play is one which both strayed from and exceeded my expectations. Such an experience teaches that nobody can pull off anything without diverse help from many, many people, and it speaks to the importance of a community in trying to reach a goal.”
The set was created by twelfth-graders Zayne Kolesar and Zach Edwards. Tenth-grader Amanda Geruliski, who also played the Dodecahedron in the play, created the costumes for the production. Gerulski, Edwards, and Kolesar refurbished old props and costumes as well.
According to the directors, directing “The Phantom Tollbooth” was a great experience. Lehman said, “Being able to direct the show with Foster and watching all of the kids grow was such an incredible experience and I’m so happy I was able to do it in my final year of Drama Club.”
Swartz said, “It is equally enthusing to know that I could not have done this without my drama family next to me, every step of the way.”