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High school senior will present 'Present Laughter' in Saratoga

By Jennifer M. van der Kleut

Marley Teter has been planning her senior project since before she was in high school.

Marley is a senior in the Drama IV honors class at Saratoga High School. Seniors in this class have the option of applying to run their own full-scale drama production, and Marley says she has always known exactly what show she wanted to do.

"I first saw the show [Present Laughter] performed in the Ashland Shakespeare Festival the summer before my freshman year, and I knew right away I wanted to do it," Marley recalls.

Present Laughter is a comedy in three acts by well-known British playwright Noel Coward. The play follows a few days in the life of a successful and self-obsessed actor during the 1930s, as he prepares for a touring commitment in Africa.

"I thought the show was really funny, but in a subtle way; it's not slapstick, it's just a fun, British comedy. A lot of comedy is in the language, though, and language is very important to me. I often think too many of my peers rely on physicality rather than language for comedy," Marley explains. "Plus, the main character is an actor so there's a lot of jokes poked at actors, which is really fun for a bunch of drama kids to do."

With little to no help from adults or teachers, Marley has run this production from day one, and says she is excited to finally see it come to fruition.

Performances of 'Present Laughter' will take place on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Saratoga High School Little Theatre, 20300 Herriman Ave. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youth and are available for purchase at the Saratoga High Athletic Office and at the door. This show is recommended for mature audiences.