Yet another successful weekend for Oakton Theatre, with the production of “Cyrano!” on December 1-3. This was the continuation of the first semester project for Drama 3 and 4 students, as half of them acted in “Cyrano!” and the other half in “Once in a Lifetime.” This Shakespearean tale set in 1655 follows the theme of the main character, Cyrano de Bergerac, falling madly in love with his cousin, Roxane. Cyrano believes that Roxane calls him over to confess her love for him, when she actually just wants him to watch over the man she really loves, Christian — “the new guy.” Additionally, an aristocrat named De Guiche also wants Roxane, so it becomes a bit of a love triangle. Cyrano, played by senior Mike Lee, recites many long verses of poetic language throughout the entirety of the play, and the audience loved his character so much that he got a standing ovation at the end. Roxane was played by senior Jessi Bice, who portrayed the beautiful and intelligent character very well. With the perfect mixture of humor, romance, and sophisticated poetic language, “Cyrano!” was a fantastic show put on by the very talented Oakton Drama students.

 Lauren Yarnall, a junior at Oakton, played Le Bret, captain of the Gasgony Guard. She narrates the story as it goes on, describing Cyrano’s feelings and telling about his life. When she auditioned in September, she originally wanted to be in “Once in a Lifetime,” but the director, Hanna El-Mohandess, thought she would be a great fit for Le Bret in “Cyrano!”. “I realize now that being in “Cyrano!” was the right choice because I got a bigger part and I have really loved this whole experience,” said Yarnall.

 Because the play is set in 1655, the soldiers must know how to sword fight for battles. Luckily, the Oakton Drama Department brought in a professional swordfighter to help choreograph battle scenes and teach the students how to swordfight correctly. “Swordfighting has been one of the most fun things I’ve been able to do in my three years of Drama at Oakton,” said Yarnall. Not only was the swordfighting a fast-paced thrill for the night, but the set was exquisite and intricate. Students in technical drama spent countless hours working on the amazing background and additions to the antique French experience. The balcony to Roxane’s castle was especially impressive, as she stood on top, looking out into the distance for Christian every night.

  El-Mohandess worked extremely hard as the director to pull this show together. She casted the play and she’s been in all of the rehearsals, helping the actors with their lines, their blocking, and their stage presence. “I’ve been in Drama all of high school, so this is my fourth year. I’ve been in technical drama as well,” said El-Mohandess. Whether it was directing the actors, building the sets, working on scene changes, or developing lights, sound, and music, El-Mohandess has been a fantastic head director. “It was a huge advantage to be in technical drama while I was directing because I could really have creative control for what I wanted,” said El-Mohandess. She is even hoping to attend New York University: Tisch School for the next four years to further her career in filmmaking or acting. Additionally, Yarnall hopes to continue with community theatre in the future, and she will always be a lover of Broadway.

 “We’ve really been able to grow a lot throughout this process and really bond as a group. When you stay after school for endless amounts of hours over the course of many months, you become really close with the actors and their characters as well,” said El-Mohandess. Oakton students should really take more advantage of the wonderful and lively touch of theatre right in our grasp — these students have worked tremendously hard and it is absolutely evident in their accomplishments as a group. “I would not change anything that I have done,” said El-Mohandess. Oakton senior Sydney Uitz saw the play both Thursday and Saturday night and loved it so much that she would have seen it a third time. “It was amazing both times,” said Uitz. “Cyrano!” was undeniably a success for the books, so make sure to check out the next upcoming piece of Oakton Theatre in the spring with “Les Miserables” — it will definitely be worth the wait.