On December 4, Freshman Drama hit the stage to perform The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, a dramatic adaptation of author Ray Bradbury’s 1958 short story “The Magic White Suit.” The collective group of Xavier actors performed twice, first during school, when their audience was their fellow classmates and teachers, and then at night, when their parents and friends could join in on the fun. The co-directors were faculty members Ms. Mayce Makani and Ms. Alexis Walker, whose direction was inspired by fellow faculty member Ms. Margaret Gonzalez, who first came up with the choice of play.

The play, which centers on the mysterious properties of a white suit, was largely a freshman affair. The principal players were freshmen Diego Azerrad ’18, James Glass ’18, Joe Ruocco ’18, and Justin Wong ’18. They were assisted by several upperclassmen, including Nick DeTorfino ’17, Rob Stryzk ’17, Chris Coughlin ’15, Justin Gonzalez ’15, and Luke Meagher ’15, who provided invaluable assistance onstage and off. Even faculty member Mr. Michael Mule ’04 entertained the crowd with a scene of his own during the play.

In preparation for their performance, the players rehearsed nonstop throughout the fall, working with one another for at least two hours after school each day to make sure that their performances were as good as possible. Their work proved to be quite fruitful, as evidenced by the vibrancy and overall excellence of their performances.

Watching them perform, one might think that the freshman drama actors were experienced veterans of the stage. While this may be true for some, especially those who performed before coming to Xavier, for many it was their first time on stage. James Glass was one of the few who had never performed before, and he is glad to have made the decision to participate. He said, “Participating in Freshman Drama was a great choice. I had a lot of fun rehearsing, and it was fun to perform in front of my friends and family.” Many of the actors can be expected to play prominent roles in the success of Xavier Dramatics, a drama program open to all students and girls from neighboring high schools throughout the city, in the future.

Xavier will continue to be immersed in the arts for at least one more week. Xavier Dramatics will put on its performance of the 1986 Larry Shue play The Nerd, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 12-14. After that, the actors of Xavier will perform in the warmer months for their spring production. There will likely be a few members of Freshman Drama in the springtime performance, so remember to look out for them in the future, and cross your fingers for this week’s upcoming performance!

For more information on Xavier Dramatics, please contact moderator Ms. Nicole DiMarco.