Animal Farm
at Beckman

Reviewed on November 1, 2018

Timothy Coleman
Fullerton Union
Submitted for publication to OC Register

Horsing around on Beckman's "farm"
written by Timothy Coleman, a senior at Fullerton Union High School

Breathing within the classic look and atmosphere of a farm, the cast and crew of "Animal Farm" at Beckman High School fully embraces the story of corrupt authority. Surrounding a farmer who is driven off of his own grounds and taken over by the animals that live there, audiences watch as the newfound command of the farm's pig population transitions from running the estate selflessly to, in the end, becoming underhanded and egotistical leaders.

Bella Kelso generates great presence as Napoleon, the pig dictator of the land. She commands the stage effortlessly with the overarching demeanor her character requires.

Backing her are Snowball and Squealer (Erika Corcoran & Katie Marting); they provide support for the main tyranny run by Napoleon with their pleas for forgiveness and promotion of propaganda in this totalitarian society.

The three pigs are brought together with a uniform look created by the costume designers (Ashley Wilkison & Bella Kelso). The creation of a visual evolution from animal to human in the way that the pigs dress is one of pure genius. They transfer from no human relation to wearing a few items humans occasionally dress in, to, in the end, associating themselves heavily with humans by wearing suits and pants.

The entire ensemble of animals provides the fill of the stage that the classic look of a farmhouse desperately needs. Throughout every scene where the autocratic leaders are speaking to the masses, the ensemble of animals pay very close attention and both visually agree and disagree to whatever is being spoken upon them.

Set design, orchestrated by the Beckman Stagecraft Class, is one of extreme simplicity, but within that simplicity lies a hidden complexity that is purposefully engrained. Everything the audience sees that is created by the animals is truly that, something so simple that animals could have easily created it. Even the windmill, a machine of great complexity that is masterminded by the animals, is made of mere pallets of wood and nails, causing the audience to truly believe that actual animals are building it in front of their very eyes.

With its deep rooted story and realistic look, Beckman High School's production of "Animal Farm" captivates it's audiences with its absurd and transformative story of animals falling into the same traps that humans fall into when dealing with power.

Timothy Coleman
Fullerton Union
Submitted for publication to OC Register

Horsing around on Beckman's "farm"
written by Timothy Coleman, a senior at Fullerton Union High School

Breathing within the classic look and atmosphere of a farm, the cast and crew of "Animal Farm" at Beckman High School fully embraces the story of corrupt authority. Surrounding a farmer who is driven off of his own grounds and taken over by the animals that live there, audiences watch as the newfound command of the farm's pig population transitions from running the estate selflessly to, in the end, becoming underhanded and egotistical leaders.

Bella Kelso generates great presence as Napoleon, the pig dictator of the land. She commands the stage effortlessly with the overarching demeanor her character requires.

Backing her are Snowball and Squealer (Erika Corcoran & Katie Marting); they provide support for the main tyranny run by Napoleon with their pleas for forgiveness and promotion of propaganda in this totalitarian society.

The three pigs are brought together with a uniform look created by the costume designers (Ashley Wilkison & Bella Kelso). The creation of a visual evolution from animal to human in the way that the pigs dress is one of pure genius. They transfer from no human relation to wearing a few items humans occasionally dress in, to, in the end, associating themselves heavily with humans by wearing suits and pants.

The entire ensemble of animals provides the fill of the stage that the classic look of a farmhouse desperately needs. Throughout every scene where the autocratic leaders are speaking to the masses, the ensemble of animals pay very close attention and both visually agree and disagree to whatever is being spoken upon them.

Set design, orchestrated by the Beckman Stagecraft Class, is one of extreme simplicity, but within that simplicity lies a hidden complexity that is purposefully engrained. Everything the audience sees that is created by the animals is truly that, something so simple that animals could have easily created it. Even the windmill, a machine of great complexity that is masterminded by the animals, is made of mere pallets of wood and nails, causing the audience to truly believe that actual animals are building it in front of their very eyes.

With its deep rooted story and realistic look, Beckman High School's production of "Animal Farm" captivates it's audiences with its absurd and transformative story of animals falling into the same traps that humans fall into when dealing with power.

Carson Preusse
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Beckman's "Animal Farm" tells a tale of tyranny
written by Carson Preusse, a senior at Tesoro High School

A storytelling scarecrow, power hungry pigs, and a corrupt government all contribute to the chilling tale of a farm controlled by animals. Beckman High School's "Animal Farm" represents the rise to power of the pigs on the farm and the lies and deception they use against the other working class animals.

Portraying the self-appointed leader of the greedy and powerful pigs is Bella Kelso as Napoleon. Radiating power as she calmly struts around the stage, Kelso keeps her head and shoulders high while commanding animals to continue their labor. Kelso chillingly becomes an increasingly deceitful dictator as she sends rival pig, Snowball, played by Erika Corcoran, away from the farm for good, all while speaking slowly and smoothly in a voice ironically radiating tranquility.

Katie Marting plays Napoleon's smooth talking spokesperson, Squealer. Intensely relaying the unstable rules of the farm to the other animals, Marting creates a constantly energetic and underhanded character that moves the story along, delivering every speech with clear articulation.

Ryan Puterbaugh illustrates the archetype of loyalty as the hardworking horse, Boxer. While trying to prove his intelligence to the other animals on the farm, Puterbaugh comically portrays his clueless character by attempting to recite the alphabet, that he had never learned, at a painstaking pace. Later, Puterbaugh displays his devotion to Napoleon's rules by calmly sporting a brave smile as he blindly follows orders to enter a truck, not realizing that it will lead him to his death.

One of the most compelling aspects of this show is the costume design, by Ashley Wilkison and Bella Kelso. Each actor holds two wooden dowels with hooves on the ends to creatively depict a four legged animal. At the end of the show, the pigs enter without their dowels, walking on two legs, wearing blazers, skirts, and scarves to effectively portray their increasing humanistic traits.

The set, designed by Beckman High School Stagecraft, is dressed with hay bales, pitchforks, and picket fences, clearly illustrating a realistic farm. Throughout the show, the animals work to build a windmill by stacking wooden pallets on one another, creating a simple structure that animals may possibly have been able to construct.

Beckman High School's "Animal Farm" successfully exhibits corruption of leadership through a combination of an attentive ensemble and an array of creative technical elements, resulting in a powerful retelling of this timeless tale.

Carson Preusse
Tesoro
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Beckman's "Animal Farm" tells a tale of tyranny
written by Carson Preusse, a senior at Tesoro High School

A storytelling scarecrow, power hungry pigs, and a corrupt government all contribute to the chilling tale of a farm controlled by animals. Beckman High School's "Animal Farm" represents the rise to power of the pigs on the farm and the lies and deception they use against the other working class animals.

Portraying the self-appointed leader of the greedy and powerful pigs is Bella Kelso as Napoleon. Radiating power as she calmly struts around the stage, Kelso keeps her head and shoulders high while commanding animals to continue their labor. Kelso chillingly becomes an increasingly deceitful dictator as she sends rival pig, Snowball, played by Erika Corcoran, away from the farm for good, all while speaking slowly and smoothly in a voice ironically radiating tranquility.

Katie Marting plays Napoleon's smooth talking spokesperson, Squealer. Intensely relaying the unstable rules of the farm to the other animals, Marting creates a constantly energetic and underhanded character that moves the story along, delivering every speech with clear articulation.

Ryan Puterbaugh illustrates the archetype of loyalty as the hardworking horse, Boxer. While trying to prove his intelligence to the other animals on the farm, Puterbaugh comically portrays his clueless character by attempting to recite the alphabet, that he had never learned, at a painstaking pace. Later, Puterbaugh displays his devotion to Napoleon's rules by calmly sporting a brave smile as he blindly follows orders to enter a truck, not realizing that it will lead him to his death.

One of the most compelling aspects of this show is the costume design, by Ashley Wilkison and Bella Kelso. Each actor holds two wooden dowels with hooves on the ends to creatively depict a four legged animal. At the end of the show, the pigs enter without their dowels, walking on two legs, wearing blazers, skirts, and scarves to effectively portray their increasing humanistic traits.

The set, designed by Beckman High School Stagecraft, is dressed with hay bales, pitchforks, and picket fences, clearly illustrating a realistic farm. Throughout the show, the animals work to build a windmill by stacking wooden pallets on one another, creating a simple structure that animals may possibly have been able to construct.

Beckman High School's "Animal Farm" successfully exhibits corruption of leadership through a combination of an attentive ensemble and an array of creative technical elements, resulting in a powerful retelling of this timeless tale.

Ashley Palakian
Irvine
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Long Live "Animal Farm" at Beckman!
written by Ashley Palakian, sophomore at Irvine High School

When Mr. Jones is overthrown by farm animals, what will transpire next? What are the repercussions when a new leader emerges to destroy the "animal utopia"? Beckman High School's captivating production of Orwell's novel, "Animal Farm" shines as they satire the corrupting influence of power.

Set on a farm, a scarecrow narrates this dystopian tale where farm animals institute a communal government after they rebel against their owner, Mr. Jones. In short time, the pigs grasp power for themselves, becoming supervisors of the farm and behaving more like humans as they eventually manage to stride on two legs. What proceeds is a ridicule of the Soviet Union and parodies of communist leaders.

Brilliantly directed by Antonio Moon, the actors manifesting the various types of animals do not deviate from their animalistic ways, from hard working horses to crows springing to different haystacks. Every actor is a delight to watch, especially the pigs wiggling snouts and the sheeps death stares!

One such fine performance is Bella Kelso playing the pig, Napoleon. Kelso transforms herself gradually from a participant in the revolution who wants to improve everyone's daily accounts to an ambitious, scheming, and hoofed dictator, whose obscure actions is seen in Kelso's demanding voice filled with lies and disappointment.

The tall, black cart-horse is played by Ryan Puterbaugh. His every movement from resting on the floor to his uncomfortable, but loyal stance demonstrates his desire to complete the tasks well. Additionally, Puterbaugh demonstrates Boxer's illiteracy as he fails to recite the ABCs fully and illustrates that the horse is naive when he trusts the pigs to fashion all of his decisions with the motto, "Napoleon is always right".

Costume designer Ashley Wilkinson showed the pig's evolution from animal to human from the shift to black dresses and pink blazers. Additionally, she indicated that the pig's had the most control through their neat and clean polos which differed from the horse's black, rugged jeans. Another note is the use of sticks to reveal two more legs helps the audience envision that the actors are portraying animals rather than humans.

"Animal Farm" at Beckman High School displays how corruption is naturally generated through political power and illustrates how different political systems share the same elements through established patterns of dominance.

Ashley Palakian
Irvine
Submitted for publication to OC Facebook

Long Live "Animal Farm" at Beckman!
written by Ashley Palakian, sophomore at Irvine High School

When Mr. Jones is overthrown by farm animals, what will transpire next? What are the repercussions when a new leader emerges to destroy the "animal utopia"? Beckman High School's captivating production of Orwell's novel, "Animal Farm" shines as they satire the corrupting influence of power.

Set on a farm, a scarecrow narrates this dystopian tale where farm animals institute a communal government after they rebel against their owner, Mr. Jones. In short time, the pigs grasp power for themselves, becoming supervisors of the farm and behaving more like humans as they eventually manage to stride on two legs. What proceeds is a ridicule of the Soviet Union and parodies of communist leaders.

Brilliantly directed by Antonio Moon, the actors manifesting the various types of animals do not deviate from their animalistic ways, from hard working horses to crows springing to different haystacks. Every actor is a delight to watch, especially the pigs wiggling snouts and the sheeps death stares!

One such fine performance is Bella Kelso playing the pig, Napoleon. Kelso transforms herself gradually from a participant in the revolution who wants to improve everyone's daily accounts to an ambitious, scheming, and hoofed dictator, whose obscure actions is seen in Kelso's demanding voice filled with lies and disappointment.

The tall, black cart-horse is played by Ryan Puterbaugh. His every movement from resting on the floor to his uncomfortable, but loyal stance demonstrates his desire to complete the tasks well. Additionally, Puterbaugh demonstrates Boxer's illiteracy as he fails to recite the ABCs fully and illustrates that the horse is naive when he trusts the pigs to fashion all of his decisions with the motto, "Napoleon is always right".

Costume designer Ashley Wilkinson showed the pig's evolution from animal to human from the shift to black dresses and pink blazers. Additionally, she indicated that the pig's had the most control through their neat and clean polos which differed from the horse's black, rugged jeans. Another note is the use of sticks to reveal two more legs helps the audience envision that the actors are portraying animals rather than humans.

"Animal Farm" at Beckman High School displays how corruption is naturally generated through political power and illustrates how different political systems share the same elements through established patterns of dominance.