[IB9 & IB10] Bang Bang You're Dead - a play directed by the students

Vaiva Zokaitė -

           CAS has never been about collecting the hours or doing something that has to be done just because somebody says so. The idea which, I believe, all IB students at this point can agree on is to combine having a great time and getting out of your comfort zone, as well as discovering hidden talents. This is what we had in mind when we started putting up posters of “Bang Bang You’re Dead” play auditions on the walls of Didzdvaris Gymnasium and figuring out a plan.

A friend of mine, Zivile Matjusaityte (IB1), once randomly suggested to direct a play at our school. She already had experience working on some plays in Hawaii, so did I – both acting and directing. Without waiting much longer, we talked to some people at Didzdvaris Gymnasium who gave out the permission to carry out the plan to direct this controversial and thought-provoking play without hesitations.  

           It wasn’t too long before we gathered a team of charismatic, fluent English speakers who were adventurous enough to try themselves out in the field of theater or just revive their acting skills. We were all eager to begin taking this bumpy road, which at first appeared a piece of cake to most.

We started meeting several times a week in a classroom after school, just reading out the script of “Bang Bang You’re Dead” out loud. The actors were assigned the task of learning their lines within the first month or so, which, of course, was way easier to say than to do. This appeared to be one of the biggest problems we encountered and it seemed as if we were not getting anywhere closer to our goals. However, slowly but surely, we all started overcoming these obstacles and moving forward, as well as getting closer to each other. At that point we started understanding how important the process is – being scattered and unconfident were the main things holding us back. Even as things were starting to get better, problems would find their way back –we could barely fit into the time frame, there were thoughts of delaying the premiere and so on. The lesson we learned here was how important confidence, teamwork and proper organization are. We often had to encourage each other not to lose the motivation, which was our key to success.

           The week before the premiere of the play, which is often called “hell week” was not too big of a hell after all. We seemed to have gone through the roughest patches, the lines had been memorized, and nobody made excuses or missed the rehearsals. Zivile and I had the job of deciding where and what time we will be ready to let others see and feel what we had been working so hard on for the past several months, what the audience should look like and run all the possible scenarios in our heads.

           The time had come. Thankfully, we had all the support from our teachers and school administrators to show it to some of the students of Didzdvaris Gymnasium during classes. After that, we have been given a hall in the Siauliai Art Gallery and performed to the closest people – friends, family members and such. Both performances happened on the same day and we had never felt closer to each other and more accomplished. We had not imagined the audience, especially at our school, would be so concentrated, serious and understanding during the play. The moment we saw how moved some people were and how much they appreciated our dedication and the actors’ talent, we knew our hard work had paid off.

           After having the summer to slow down, we’re not ready to stop - we’re back at work. There have been some minor challenges already, but this only shows there’s still a lot of room for improvement. At this moment, with the help of out English teacher Alla Chvostova, we are getting ready to give our very best to a school in Panevezys. We have planned a bit more than that, but only time can tell what is possible and how much further we will go, especially with the majority of us being seniors. This year we are striving for a performance more polished and professional, as well as hoping to learn even more not only about theater, but about ourselves, too.

The last rehearsal before the big play. 

The crew after an outstanding performance