This past weekend, our ninth and 10th graders shined on the stage of Vincent Price Theater to perform The Good Doctor, a series of comic plays written by Neil Simon based on the short stories of Anton Chekhov before Checkhov became one of the most important playwrights in modern drama. These plays were directed and designed by students from throughout the Upper School. For each of the three shows, the MICDS community enjoyed about two hours of hilarity and heartbreak. Students performed a small preview of the plays at Arts Fest, but got to showcase all 11 of the pieces on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Upper School Fine & Performing Arts Teacher Patrick Huber described how these one-act plays were inspired. “The student-directed one-acts came out of the pandemic,” he shared. “When the way we had been producing theater was upended, I learned that students would rise to the level of expectations placed on them. The other thing we learned during the pandemic is that you don’t encourage students to participate in the show when they’re sick, so we had student directors and actors step in and understudy for missing performers. It was a powerful reminder that theater is live and unpredictable, and each performance is a unique event.”
For a sample of one of the plays, Natalie Benoist ’25 took the time to describe one of the plays she directed: “I directed a piece called the Audition, which was about an amateur actress doing an audition for a well-known director. This piece is subtly comedic, and it has a lot of heart. Reese Brinker ’26 perfectly portrayed a nervous and enthusiastic young girl, while Rose Sabalvaro ’26 played an intense and dedicated director across from Reese. Rose was located behind the audience as just a voice, and she did a stellar job of manipulating her voice to keep the audience engaged. It was a beautiful contrast by the two.”
Many of the directors, cast, and crew members shared a bit about their time in working on The Good Doctor.
“I have loved being a director,” Katherine Rose Ellenhorn ’26 exclaimed. “It allowed me to collaborate with the theater world in a way I haven’t before. Getting to know new actors and communing with beautiful literature made this experience truly special. One of my plays, The Drowned Man, was a comedic piece that involves a man (who can’t swim) offering to drown himself for money. The woman who he is talking about this to finds it appalling, and it leads to a hilarious set of dialogue that the actors portrayed beautifully. I am so glad that I got to be a student director, and I hope I will be able to do it again next year!”
Benoist said, “I really enjoyed directing. I got to work with some of the most talented actors, and they really brought my vision to life. I really couldn’t have asked for a better cast. It was definitely different working as a director and not an actor. However, I had so much fun learning how to direct, and my acting experience helped me with the process. Also, I learned vital skills about leadership and time management because we had limited time to block our scenes and get our actors off book. I also learned that I love directing, and I plan to do more in the next year.”
“Directing was definitely a different experience for me,” shared Grant Nicholson ’24. “It allowed me to expand on my acting skills and gave me a unique opportunity to teach the next set of actors. It was very fun and a great experience.”
“I enjoyed being the Stage Manager a lot because everyone wanted to be there. All of the actors and tech crew were great, and I really appreciate them,” said Lola Compton ’27. “Some highlights from the experience: the first read-through where all 31 of us were in the same room for the first time and got to hear each other’s scenes; the first stumble-through where we got to see all the scenes in order, which led to a lot of laughter and overall fun. Being Stage Manager was an incredible experience. I learned so much just from watching the actors, directors, and designers work, and I would absolutely do it again!”
“I liked the experience of getting to direct a show instead of acting,” adds Anik Jukanti ’25. “I’ll always prefer to act, but I think that this opportunity has taught me how to become a better actor, in my opinion. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to connect with the actors, not as a director but as a friend. I never expected to become a director especially since I originally wanted to audition, but I learned a lot from directing that I think will help me in the future as an actor.”
Ava Casillas ’26 enjoyed playing a leading acting role for her second appearance. “As The Good Doctor is the second play I have ever performed in, I auditioned with zero expectations of getting any role. It was a great surprise to learn I had been cast, and having the opportunity to contribute to this production in a ‘leader’ role has been a great experience, especially considering how amazing this cast is,” she reflected. “Working with so many talented people, cast and directors alike, has helped me learn so much about performance and acting.
“The Writer was unique in that I had no other actors to work with; the scene is essentially one long monologue, like most of my bits throughout The Good Doctor. You need to be engaging and dynamic all on your own, keeping the audience’s attention without relying on the interactions you might’ve had if other actors were with you on stage. Rather than work with another actor, you’re reacting directly with the audience. It’s a difficult thing, but I enjoyed being able to try new things each rehearsal to see what stuck and what I could try doing differently since it really is such a fun role. I loved my time working on The Good Doctor, and I’m eager to (hopefully) continue performing with so many of my fellow cast members in the future.”
At the end of Sunday’s final performance, each of the directors was recognized.
Whether directing for the first time, being new to managing the stage, acting for the umpteenth time, or attending in the audience, The Good Doctor was a lot of fun for every “role” last weekend. View the full program here! As Katherine Rose Ellenhorn ’26 said in her program remarks, we hope all who came to the show had the chance to “laugh their hearts out!”
