Secret in the Wings
at Fullerton Union

Reviewed on October 20, 2017

Andrew Senkowski
Santa Margarita Catholic
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

"Secret in the Wings" Takes Flight at Fullerton Union
written by Andrew Senkowski, a senior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School

A naked bulb illuminates a frightened girl steadily backing away from a muscular, grimy man with a tail that stretches across a dirty, wooden paneled floor. He quickens his pace, and as the girl's eyes widen and her mouth stretches to scream, the light bulb extinguishes. Out of the darkness arises Fullerton's haunting production of "Secret in the Wings," revolving around several disconnected fairy tales told by an ominous babysitting neighbor to a little girl.

Ashley Shilts as Heide darts across stage with crazed and fearful eyes, flailing her arms as her chest quickly rises and falls to personify a terrified child trying to escape the ogre Mr. Fitzpatrick (Adam Ritter). Shilt's performance as Stolen Pennies Child marks a more solemn and subtly unnerving character as she hyperventilates while frantically clawing at a worn rug on her hands and knees.

Mr. Fitzpatrick, played by Adam Ritter, stomps with a limp, retaining a sinisterly low glare at Heide while crouched forward. His deep and gruff bellows resonate against Heide's shrill cries, never ceasing to intimidate. Ritter displays diversity by adopting the roles of Father to the Princess and Father of Seven Sons, whimsically amused with a constant grin and physical buoyancy as one and perpetually resentful with a biting tone and aggressively powerful gestures as the other.

The costuming by Emma Kremer draws on the scenes' diversity and minimalism, keeping a consistent white shirt to which minor costume pieces are attached to heighten character. These range from jagged paper swan masks, technicolored, regal robes, and thick caramel and vanilla fur coats, blending with the props designed by Ruby Hernandez. Crowns made of gears and wires, umbrellas held as rifles, and flowing crimson yarn gushing like blood illustrate Hernandez's creativity in applying Heide's childlike imagination to household objects and garbage.

Calvin Tate's lighting design balances the sentimental and the absurd through coloring the stage with warm and stark hues of gold and blue, executed by stage manager Breanna Love, whose cues each flicker, dim, and color change with precision. Tate also accentuates scenes by focusing light only on characters, such as outlining Heide from behind with bright white light and engulfing her motionless silhouette with rolling fog.

The fascinatingly simple yet effective technical designs coupled with the breadth of strong and diverse acting make the production's success at Fullerton Union no secret.

Andrew Senkowski
Santa Margarita Catholic
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

"Secret in the Wings" Takes Flight at Fullerton Union
written by Andrew Senkowski, a senior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School

A naked bulb illuminates a frightened girl steadily backing away from a muscular, grimy man with a tail that stretches across a dirty, wooden paneled floor. He quickens his pace, and as the girl's eyes widen and her mouth stretches to scream, the light bulb extinguishes. Out of the darkness arises Fullerton's haunting production of "Secret in the Wings," revolving around several disconnected fairy tales told by an ominous babysitting neighbor to a little girl.

Ashley Shilts as Heide darts across stage with crazed and fearful eyes, flailing her arms as her chest quickly rises and falls to personify a terrified child trying to escape the ogre Mr. Fitzpatrick (Adam Ritter). Shilt's performance as Stolen Pennies Child marks a more solemn and subtly unnerving character as she hyperventilates while frantically clawing at a worn rug on her hands and knees.

Mr. Fitzpatrick, played by Adam Ritter, stomps with a limp, retaining a sinisterly low glare at Heide while crouched forward. His deep and gruff bellows resonate against Heide's shrill cries, never ceasing to intimidate. Ritter displays diversity by adopting the roles of Father to the Princess and Father of Seven Sons, whimsically amused with a constant grin and physical buoyancy as one and perpetually resentful with a biting tone and aggressively powerful gestures as the other.

The costuming by Emma Kremer draws on the scenes' diversity and minimalism, keeping a consistent white shirt to which minor costume pieces are attached to heighten character. These range from jagged paper swan masks, technicolored, regal robes, and thick caramel and vanilla fur coats, blending with the props designed by Ruby Hernandez. Crowns made of gears and wires, umbrellas held as rifles, and flowing crimson yarn gushing like blood illustrate Hernandez's creativity in applying Heide's childlike imagination to household objects and garbage.

Calvin Tate's lighting design balances the sentimental and the absurd through coloring the stage with warm and stark hues of gold and blue, executed by stage manager Breanna Love, whose cues each flicker, dim, and color change with precision. Tate also accentuates scenes by focusing light only on characters, such as outlining Heide from behind with bright white light and engulfing her motionless silhouette with rolling fog.

The fascinatingly simple yet effective technical designs coupled with the breadth of strong and diverse acting make the production's success at Fullerton Union no secret.

Katie Alexander
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Fullerton Union's ‘Secret in the Wings' is systematically chaotic
written by Katie Alexander, a senior at Tesoro High School

Unconventional fairy tales come to life in Fullerton Union High School's avant garde "Secret in the Wings" that focuses on the perpetual passing of time and the role it plays in our childhoods.

When Heide is left to be watched by Mr. Fitzpatrick, he begins to read her a book of stories that come alive only to be followed by bewitching chaos.

Ashley Shilts captivates as the tormented Heide. Her light footsteps and girlish smile quickly shift to desperate pacing and furrowed eyebrows as she pleads for her parents to stay home rather than leave her with her frightening babysitter.

Lumbering across stage is Adam Ritter as the unwieldy Mr. Fitzpatrick. Ritter's hunched posture and raspy voice exude discomforting tactlessness while his earnest facial expressions as the show progresses humanize him. Through the contrast of his booming voice and honest tone, Ritter persuasively creates a character that's simultaneously unnerving and lovable.

Michael Laverde skillfully shifts between five characters, each with their own distinct physicality, voice, and expressions. As Father, his hypnotic voice and glazed eyes are unsettling while his wide eyes and friendly smile are charming as Allerleira's Father.

Although the actors prove themselves outstanding, the technological designs and their cohesive integration are what make the show truly magnificent.

Joefferry Wenderlich and Tate Heinle capture the spirit of the show with their imaginative, multifunctional set. During the story of the Snake-Leaves princess, actors fluidly detach the lower half of a wooden staircase and turn it backward, creating a nautical look reminiscent of a ship deck. Up the back wall of the set, wooden slats are haphazardly arranged, creating pockets of space where various different frames hold snippets from each story.

Paired perfectly with the set, Calvin Tate brings warmth and nostalgia to his lighting design with vintage-looking hanging lightbulbs and orangey-yellow tones. As each story plays out onstage, Tate uses an inviting golden light to illuminate its frame from behind, effectively categorizing each tale. Tate ensures that every moment, however brief, matches the lighting. When Ashley Shilts flings a door open, an amber glow lights up fog spilling out of the doorway and creates an eerie, backlit silhouette lasting a few seconds.

With impeccable acting and seamless technological execution, Fullerton Union's methodically disordered "Secret in the Wings" gives fairy tales newer, deeper meanings.

Katie Alexander
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Fullerton Union's ‘Secret in the Wings' is systematically chaotic
written by Katie Alexander, a senior at Tesoro High School

Unconventional fairy tales come to life in Fullerton Union High School's avant garde "Secret in the Wings" that focuses on the perpetual passing of time and the role it plays in our childhoods.

When Heide is left to be watched by Mr. Fitzpatrick, he begins to read her a book of stories that come alive only to be followed by bewitching chaos.

Ashley Shilts captivates as the tormented Heide. Her light footsteps and girlish smile quickly shift to desperate pacing and furrowed eyebrows as she pleads for her parents to stay home rather than leave her with her frightening babysitter.

Lumbering across stage is Adam Ritter as the unwieldy Mr. Fitzpatrick. Ritter's hunched posture and raspy voice exude discomforting tactlessness while his earnest facial expressions as the show progresses humanize him. Through the contrast of his booming voice and honest tone, Ritter persuasively creates a character that's simultaneously unnerving and lovable.

Michael Laverde skillfully shifts between five characters, each with their own distinct physicality, voice, and expressions. As Father, his hypnotic voice and glazed eyes are unsettling while his wide eyes and friendly smile are charming as Allerleira's Father.

Although the actors prove themselves outstanding, the technological designs and their cohesive integration are what make the show truly magnificent.

Joefferry Wenderlich and Tate Heinle capture the spirit of the show with their imaginative, multifunctional set. During the story of the Snake-Leaves princess, actors fluidly detach the lower half of a wooden staircase and turn it backward, creating a nautical look reminiscent of a ship deck. Up the back wall of the set, wooden slats are haphazardly arranged, creating pockets of space where various different frames hold snippets from each story.

Paired perfectly with the set, Calvin Tate brings warmth and nostalgia to his lighting design with vintage-looking hanging lightbulbs and orangey-yellow tones. As each story plays out onstage, Tate uses an inviting golden light to illuminate its frame from behind, effectively categorizing each tale. Tate ensures that every moment, however brief, matches the lighting. When Ashley Shilts flings a door open, an amber glow lights up fog spilling out of the doorway and creates an eerie, backlit silhouette lasting a few seconds.

With impeccable acting and seamless technological execution, Fullerton Union's methodically disordered "Secret in the Wings" gives fairy tales newer, deeper meanings.

Sharon Chen
Fountain Valley
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Fullerton Union's ‘Wings' masterfully takes flight
written by Sharon Chen, a senior at Fountain Valley High School

In Fullerton Union High School's production of "Secret in the Wings," time becomes a fading illusion as cast and crew seamlessly bind several tales of mystical fantasy into one cohesive entity. From the mere pages of a storybook, characters from alternate realms emerge, endowing reality with magic and enchantment.

Fairy-tale villains and heroes run rampant, as stories containing romance, treachery, and curses unfold through the fateful words of "once upon a time." Standing at the root is Mr. Fitzpatrick (Adam Ritter), who manifests these fantasies to calm young Heide (Ashley Shilts) after the latter distressfully refuses his marriage proposal. Shilts impeccably embodies Heide's vulnerability, softly whimpering as she scuttles away from Mr. Fitzpatrick's pursuits.

Adam Ritter showcases wonderful versatility in his various roles. As Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ritter maintains a gruff disposition, straight-faced and stern to contrast Heide's terrified demeanor. Flawlessly, he adopts a jovial, outgoing attitude as Father to the Princess that Wouldn't Laugh (Ruby Hernandez). Ritter as Father skips about the stage, exclaiming eagerly when introducing his daughter to potential suitors.

Likewise, Ruby Hernandez holds an element of surprise as the Princess herself. Consistently spiteful in both tone and expression, Hernandez as Princess defiantly rolls her eyes in the face of Father's benevolent nature, scribbling furiously in a journal as she passionately insults the notion of happiness. Eventually, she sheds her glum appearance, releasing a dramatically boisterous laugh when eavesdropping on Mr. Fitzpatrick's failed proposal to Heide.

Props (Ruby Hernandez and Carina Montero) further depict the overlap between fiction and reality. From using umbrellas in lieu of artillery in a desert war zone, to creating ebbing ocean waves with simple fluctuations of blue fabric, each unique piece taps into the full scale of imagination, transforming mundane objects into those which breathe life into abstract fantasies.

Hair and Makeup (Elizabeth Gimple and Abigail Lange) splendidly provide visual representation of each character's personas. Applying dark shadows under Adam Ritter's eyes highlights the ominous aspect of Mr. Fitzpatrick, whereas curling Ashley Shilts's hair displays the youth and naivete of Heide.

Both intricate and mesmerizing in execution, the talented cast and crew of Fullerton Union High journey across the threshold separating dream from truth. With time at a standstill, and creativity running wild, "Secret in the Wings" brilliantly demonstrates the vitality of imagination in both the real world and that of make-believe.

Sharon Chen
Fountain Valley
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Fullerton Union's ‘Wings' masterfully takes flight
written by Sharon Chen, a senior at Fountain Valley High School

In Fullerton Union High School's production of "Secret in the Wings," time becomes a fading illusion as cast and crew seamlessly bind several tales of mystical fantasy into one cohesive entity. From the mere pages of a storybook, characters from alternate realms emerge, endowing reality with magic and enchantment.

Fairy-tale villains and heroes run rampant, as stories containing romance, treachery, and curses unfold through the fateful words of "once upon a time." Standing at the root is Mr. Fitzpatrick (Adam Ritter), who manifests these fantasies to calm young Heide (Ashley Shilts) after the latter distressfully refuses his marriage proposal. Shilts impeccably embodies Heide's vulnerability, softly whimpering as she scuttles away from Mr. Fitzpatrick's pursuits.

Adam Ritter showcases wonderful versatility in his various roles. As Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ritter maintains a gruff disposition, straight-faced and stern to contrast Heide's terrified demeanor. Flawlessly, he adopts a jovial, outgoing attitude as Father to the Princess that Wouldn't Laugh (Ruby Hernandez). Ritter as Father skips about the stage, exclaiming eagerly when introducing his daughter to potential suitors.

Likewise, Ruby Hernandez holds an element of surprise as the Princess herself. Consistently spiteful in both tone and expression, Hernandez as Princess defiantly rolls her eyes in the face of Father's benevolent nature, scribbling furiously in a journal as she passionately insults the notion of happiness. Eventually, she sheds her glum appearance, releasing a dramatically boisterous laugh when eavesdropping on Mr. Fitzpatrick's failed proposal to Heide.

Props (Ruby Hernandez and Carina Montero) further depict the overlap between fiction and reality. From using umbrellas in lieu of artillery in a desert war zone, to creating ebbing ocean waves with simple fluctuations of blue fabric, each unique piece taps into the full scale of imagination, transforming mundane objects into those which breathe life into abstract fantasies.

Hair and Makeup (Elizabeth Gimple and Abigail Lange) splendidly provide visual representation of each character's personas. Applying dark shadows under Adam Ritter's eyes highlights the ominous aspect of Mr. Fitzpatrick, whereas curling Ashley Shilts's hair displays the youth and naivete of Heide.

Both intricate and mesmerizing in execution, the talented cast and crew of Fullerton Union High journey across the threshold separating dream from truth. With time at a standstill, and creativity running wild, "Secret in the Wings" brilliantly demonstrates the vitality of imagination in both the real world and that of make-believe.