The rumor spread through the halls of Evanston Township High School faster than news of a new Facebook relationship: No fewer than four teachers would “hook up” on stage Thursday night.
“It’s really odd,” said ETHS junior Sara Pitt. “Our teachers were telling us they have to make out with each other to get us to come.”
There was much more to the opening night of the school’s staff-performed and -produced play “Ducks and Lovers.” The Murray Schisgal play follows young businessman Robert Latore, who is torn between corporate success and his calling as the “king of the gypsies” in a New York borough. He also appears to be suffering from some sort of existential crisis.
“We knew it was a funny play,” said Hebrew teacher Semadar Siegal, who plays a gypsy palm reader. “But we didn’t know what would make people laugh.”
The crowd, comprising mostly students and fellow ETHS faculty and staff, did laugh. Repeatedly. Fake Eastern European accents, fake necking and a fake duck (apparently Latore’s father) drew chuckles, shrieks and at one point a clap-along.
But this wasn’t exactly the point of the play, director Anne Gilford said. The special education teacher said letting students watch their English teacher get busy wasn’t part of her original plan. Instead, in a Wednesday night rehearsal, teachers missed a cue and kept going (or at least pretending to) well after the scene was supposed to change.
Gilford had more pressing concerns when picking a play.
“They’re people who’ve never been on stage,” Gilford said. “So I needed to find a play that if people weren’t very good, it’d be OK.”
She also had to deal with actors whose first priority was teaching – not acting. Thursday’s debut was the first time the entire cast took stage at the same time since March auditions.
“I take this seriously. They deserve it,” she said. “But I can’t take this as seriously as I do with a student production. Someone was even going to miss tonight.”
But besides the occasional flubbed line or lapse in accent, the longtime director said she thought Thursday night’s performance was solid.
“There were a number of times tonight where someone didn’t say something they should, but they got the concept so they can just keep going.”
Faculty also said they just wanted to put on a show for students and colleagues.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said English teacher Robert Roth who played Latore’s fashion-obsessed boss. “I’ve been at a couple faculty plays in the past, and I think it’s just a good morale booster.”
Besides spreading rumors of his infamous make-out scene, Roth promised extra credit to students who bring programs to class.
“I think it went well. I think we all had energy,” said Milka Samardzija, who plays the thickly accented Aunt Mana. “I mean, we know where we made mistakes, and we’re going to try to correct them. But we’re not going to tell you about that.”
There will be two more performances in the ETHS auditorium: Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
