“My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.” This quote from the King James Bible is the inspiration of the title of our new CHS Fall Play, The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder. This year, our play will not be about spies in school, or grim brothers being spectacular; instead, our story will follow the Antrobus family. George and Maggie Antrobus are the two main characters, and along with their son and daughter, Henry and Gladys, we follow them throughout time into some crazy adventures, such as surviving the Ice Age, living at the Jersey Shore, building a pseudo Noah’s Ark, fighting in wars, and facing the end of time itself. This play will take place at the corner of reality and fantasy. It stresses the theme that literature and art will be the reason mankind perseveres. The best adjectives to explain the play would be thought-provoking, fun, and strange. It will leave the audience laughing, crying, and most importantly thinking.
The stage manager this year will again be renowned CHS English teacher, Mr. Lichtinger, or known by some as Mr. L. He is extremely excited to be doing The Skin of Our Teeth this year because, “This play provides the opportunity for the students to get creative. We finally have a combination of absurd comedy, and drama.” The Skin of Our Teeth deals with some contentious topics, such as the bible, killing, and the apocalypse. Mr. Lichtinger describes, “The only controversial topics of the play will be the same ones mankind has always thought were controversial since the beginning of time.” The play might leave the audience with more questions than laughs this year, but that is a good thing.
Senior Austin Linn is the new president of Drama Club this year, and told me, “I’m very excited for this play since it’s my senior year and I’ll be able to give it all I got for the character I play.” The play would not be complete, though, without all of the crews that tie the performance together: Stage, Props, Lights, Sound, M&C, and Business. As like what senior Emily Staffelino says, “The crews make the show happen.” Student tickets are only five dollars. Come see The Chardon High School Fall Play, The Skin of Our Teeth, which starts on Thursday, November 7th, and goes throughout the weekend. Be there or be square, or perhaps you will actually break a leg.