The Theatre Arts students participated in the Manhattan
Theatre Club Core Education program of the Broadway Production of The Nap. Part of this program, our students
participated in workshops with Manhattan Theatre Club resident artist, actress
and playwright Nilaja Sun, in order to prepare and discuss the play. During the
workshops they acted, read, improvised and wrote their own scenes inspired by
Richard Beans’s new play.
Written by the author of the rollicking, award-winning
Broadway comedy One Man, Two Guvnors, The Nap is a very funny
look at the world of snooker – the British version of pool. Dylan Spokes,
a fast-rising young star arrives for a championship tournament only to be
confronted by the authorities warning him of the repercussions of match fixing.
Before he knows it, Dylan is forced into underhanded dealings with a cast
of wildly colorful characters that include his ex-convict dad, saucy mum,
quick-tongued manager and a renowned gangster, to boot. It’s a fast-paced
comedy thriller where, in an exciting twist, the tournament unfolds live
on stage. This New York Times Critics’ Pick is “easily the funniest
play on Broadway” according to the New York Stage Review. Directed by Tony
Award winner Daniel Sullivan.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed the play, some considered it
“the best play ever”, others found it “hysterical and riveting,” but all were
enthralled in particular by both Alexandra Billings’s and Ben Schnetzer’s performances.
Ben played the role of Dylan, the one pure character in this corrupt world,
while Alexandra plays a transgender woman who has masterminded the entire criminal
operation.
All the characters really take the audience on a roller-coaster
journey, bringing us from incredible laughter to suspense, to romance and back
to reality. More importantly, we are invited to reflect on our need as people
to stay true to our values despite the challenges around us.
Overall, this has been a very enriching experience and we
are looking forward to more collaboration with the Manhattan Theatre Club in
the near future, says Raluca Shields, the Theatre Arts teacher at Country Prep.
