Overview:
It all started during freshman year. PYA Drama members Massan Jensen and Meredith Hanley decided that they wanted to try their hands at writing a musical.
So they did!
For the next four years - almost the entirety of their high school career - they continued to work on it. They wrote a script. They wrote lyrics. They wrote music. They worked, and they revised, and they got feedback, and they revised some more. Finally, as seniors, they were ready to showcase their work to the world. Common Ground was ready to become a reality.
Massan and Meredith held formal auditions, selected a cast, then directed their talented PYA Drama colleagues in rehearsals over the next several weeks. In a true team effort, the group put together a fully student-run production.
Common Ground follows a year in the life of four teens as they work through through all the craziness that high school brings. Julian Greene (Junior Sophia Smith) is trying to navigate his freshman year, his anxiety, and his relationship with a senior guy, Jay Marble (Sophomore Gale/Ezra Paddock). This all becomes difficult for Julian, though, after he suffers a betrayal at the hands of Jay and Juliet Rose (incoming Freshman Ella Kinsey), a close friend of the two.
Julian and Jay, struggling to figure out how to make things work between them, both turn to Juliet, who concocts a risky plan to try to get the two back on stable ground. This puts her own relationship with Andrew (Junior Garrett Hilton) on the line and pushes Juliet to look inward and recognize her faults and her role in everything that unfolds.
The story asks audiences to consider high school life, mental health, and the complicated nature of our relationships, while also helping us realize that growth and healing can be possible, even in difficult circumstances.
Common Ground was staged for two performances in June 2022 in the PYA Music Suite, a location that served as the inspiration for much of the action in the story. Proceeds from the performances were donated by the directors/playwrights to PY Pride, in support of the LGBTQ+ community in Penn Yan.
So they did!
For the next four years - almost the entirety of their high school career - they continued to work on it. They wrote a script. They wrote lyrics. They wrote music. They worked, and they revised, and they got feedback, and they revised some more. Finally, as seniors, they were ready to showcase their work to the world. Common Ground was ready to become a reality.
Massan and Meredith held formal auditions, selected a cast, then directed their talented PYA Drama colleagues in rehearsals over the next several weeks. In a true team effort, the group put together a fully student-run production.
Common Ground follows a year in the life of four teens as they work through through all the craziness that high school brings. Julian Greene (Junior Sophia Smith) is trying to navigate his freshman year, his anxiety, and his relationship with a senior guy, Jay Marble (Sophomore Gale/Ezra Paddock). This all becomes difficult for Julian, though, after he suffers a betrayal at the hands of Jay and Juliet Rose (incoming Freshman Ella Kinsey), a close friend of the two.
Julian and Jay, struggling to figure out how to make things work between them, both turn to Juliet, who concocts a risky plan to try to get the two back on stable ground. This puts her own relationship with Andrew (Junior Garrett Hilton) on the line and pushes Juliet to look inward and recognize her faults and her role in everything that unfolds.
The story asks audiences to consider high school life, mental health, and the complicated nature of our relationships, while also helping us realize that growth and healing can be possible, even in difficult circumstances.
Common Ground was staged for two performances in June 2022 in the PYA Music Suite, a location that served as the inspiration for much of the action in the story. Proceeds from the performances were donated by the directors/playwrights to PY Pride, in support of the LGBTQ+ community in Penn Yan.
CastJulian Greene - Sophia Smith
Jay Marble - Gale/Ezra Paddock Juliet Rose - Ella Kinsey Andrew Kinsey - Garrett Hilton Sam Jones/Various - Massan Jensen Ms. Oliver/Various - Samantha Trank |
Crew/Production TeamBook/Music/Lyrics - Massan Jensen and Meredith Hanley
Directors - Massan Jensen and Meredith Hanley Choreographer - Jayden Hollister Accompanist - Jessica Kinsey Video/Sound/Photos - Paul H. Gaston Camera Operators - Paul H. Gaston, Meredith Hanley Poster Artwork - Maine Berrios |
Extras!
- Click here to see more pictures from the production!
- Click here to watch the production on YouTube!