The Right to Remain Silent
at The Sagemont School

Reviewed on February 29, 2020

NameSchoolPublication/Broadcasts
South Plantation High School
Florida Theater On Stage
South Plantation High School
Florida Theater On Stage
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Florida Theater On Stage
Cypress Bay High School
Florida Theater On Stage
West Broward High School
Florida Theater On Stage



Alonso Millan
South Plantation High School

Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

The wildest stories can come from the most unexpected places, and in The Sagemont School's production of The Right To Remain Silent, 12 incredible tales of murder, robbery, and more are put on display.

Written by Mark Fauser and Brent Briscoe, The Right To Remain Silent began as two original monologues. From there, it evolved into a fully fledged show documenting the happenings at a police booking station during the graveyard shift. The monologue based show tells the individual stories of all the characters that come through the station, at times hilarious and light hearted, and at others intense and dark. The play was later adapted into a Showtime television movie, winning a Cable ACE Award for Best Supporting Actress.

With no lead actors, the 12 distinct stories are played by several different actors, with each character telling their story through a monologue. Through some standout performances and well executed technical aspects, The Sagemont School's production of The Right To Remain Silent was an enjoyable experience throughout the night.

Santiago Murillo absolutely shined as a murderous ice cream man in "I Scream For Ice Cream". Murillo completely embodied the charming but twisted character, eliciting both laughter and uneasiness throughout his well rounded performance. His work as a Star Trek fanatic in "Kobaishi Muru" was hilarious as well, making the quirky and nerdy character another highlight of the night. Murillo's ability to build two distinct and dynamic characters must be commended. Another standout role was Eva Daskos in "And Here's Your Change." Daskos expertly led the audience through the journey of how she ended up there with emotional intensity and careful but strong choices that elevated her performance to great levels. Ariel Seligman Delgado was hilarious as an airhead shopaholic in "Blue Light Special", perfectly capturing the ditzy and bubbly character through the entire piece. Many actors had difficulty with enunciation and energy, at times seeming disengaged or forgetting lines. However, standout performances made for an exciting and dynamic night.

The costume design, by Eva Daskos, built the world of the play in an extremely well executed way. With no set and minimal technical aspects, the costumes were perhaps the only way to set the time period of the show. Daskos rose to the challenge wonderfully, completely immersing audiences into the show through her stellar designs. The lighting design by Madyson Gold also added a nice aspect to the show through the effect of the camera flashes, which made the setting all the more believable.

Whether it be the most ordinary story, or an unbelievable tale, The Sagemont School's production of The Right To Remain Silent was a journey full of laughter, shock, and memorable performances.

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Peter Sookhansingh
South Plantation High School

Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

In telling the obscure tale of a handful of criminals, Sagemonts Schools "The Right to Remain Silent" proves to be quite an anomaly.

"The Right to Remain Silent" was written by Mark Fauser and Brent Briscoe. The play details the stories of several individuals, all of which have committed some sort of crime with varying severity. This narrative is given through a series of consecutive monologues.

Due to the story being so incredibly straightforward, the set was kept as minimal as possible. This only heightened the degree of difficulty for the performance, as each actor had to make adequate use of their space and fully embody their character without limited visual aids. Additionally, the monologues left little room for dropped emotions or monotony, so dedication to character depth was very much anticipated. Although this seemed to be quite a struggle for the actors, standout monologues such as "And Here's your Change" performed by Eva Daskos pulled this feat off excellently. Aside from having a brilliant stage presence, the commitment to characterization and the development from one emotion to the other was done wonderfully.

The cast as a whole was composed of a myriad of repeat actors, with some performers not as driven as others. Although appearing as their characters on a surface level, there was a severe lack of emotion and commitment. This became even more apparent when some actors dropped their character entirely. These moments, however, were fleeting.

Another noteworthy element were the costumes given to each actor, all of which perfectly embodied their situations. Standout examples would be the shackles that were original builds on the Santiago Murillo in "I Scream for Ice Cream" and the contrasting destroyed punk outfits on Ximena Del Rioand Leila Dupont in "Iron Claw." Despite the hair and makeup being slightly less intricate and, at times, even befuddling in accordance to the characters circumstances, the costumes were able to quickly remedy any confusion.

Although coming off as a more subdued retelling of the story as a whole, Sagemont Schools "The Right to Remain Silent" will surely remain memorable.




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Lexi Schwartzberg
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

The Right to Remain Silent, by Mark Fauser and Brent Briscoe, is a thrilling series of monologue-based scenes depicting an average day in the life of a police officer taking mugshots of the various criminals who come through the local police station. The Sagemont School's production of the dynamic show took the audience through the sweeping highs and lows of the various criminals' testimonies, providing a satisfying retelling of the challenging piece.

The small cast of actors managed to effectively set the mood for each scene, quickly transitioning between monologues that were comedic, tragic, and frightening, and bringing the audience along for the ride. Despite some areas where more emotions in the form of facial expressions and vocal inflection could have added to the quality of the actors' performances, the students did an impressive job in their undertaking of a piece that demanded a great amount of memorization and mature acting. Performed in the small Black Box Theatre, The Sagemont School's production of The Right to Remain Silent lacked the necessity for excessive technical involvement; however, the technical crew led by Production Stage Manager Inas Ahmed kept the show moving smoothly and efficiently.

An especially notable performance was that of Eva Daskos in her portrayal of And Here's Your Change, expertly conveying the character's anguish and building her monologue to an emotional climax using her entire body and vocal inflections. Santiago Murillo showed an artful range of ability in his portrayal of two contrasting characters, the comedic Kobaishi Muru, and the terrifying I Scream For Ice Cream, demanding both laughs and shudders from the audience throughout his scenes. A comedic gem was found in the form of Ariel Seligman Delgado, who devoted her entire physicality to embodying the character Blue Light Special, performing an especially humorous monologue that was a treat to watch.

The Lighting and Sound Crew, under the direction of Madyson Gold and Marc Plaskett, respectively, provided the simple but effective portrayal of a camera snapping photographs, an action which appeared several times throughout the course of the production. Additionally, the Make-up/Hair Crew, led by Ariel Seligman Delgado, included an immense amount of detail in the applying of realistic tattoos for certain characters, the realistic wounds of a different character, and the bedraggled hair of yet another. Lastly, Eva Daskos led the Costumes Crew impressively, providing a tremendous amount of nuance which added to the believability of the characters. Perhaps most notably was the instance in which a cloud of dust floated off the thoroughly dirtied costume of a homeless character, a detail which caught the eye of several onlookers.

The students at The Sagemont School produced an enjoyable rendition of The Right to Remain Silent, and their efforts to immerse the audience into the environment of the police station were impressively reflected in their performance. The challenging piece was met with admirable success for a high school production.



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Cristian Velasquez
Cypress Bay High School

Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

Chocolate frosted donuts with nuts on top and no sprinkles are just what you'll need to make it through the graveyard shift. Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair because you'll be spending a long night at The Sagemont School's production of "The Right To Remain Silent."

Originally produced as two monologues, "The Right To Remain Silent" was written in 1992 by Mark Fauser and Brent Briscoe and was later refined into a full-length production. Unlike traditional plays, this play is told as a series of monologues rather than one continuous storyline. The story takes place during a graveyard shift as two police officers take mugshots of alleged criminals as they explain what lead to their arrest.

A standout performance among the cast is that of Eva Daskos as "And Here's You Change." Daskos commanded the stage throughout the entirety of her performance with her distinguished and authentic character. Her inflection married the shifts in tone of her monologue and the intensity of her performance was impeccable. Daskos maintained powerful facial expressions and impressive physicality, drawing the audience into her story.

Another notable performance was that of Santiago Murillo in "I Scream For Ice Cream." Murillo's chilling and sinister yet innocuous disposition contributed vastly to the eerie narrative of his character. Additionally, Blue Light Special, portrayed by Ariel Seligman Delgado, delivered a contagious comedic element to the production, creating a pleasing contrast to the deeper and intense monologues.

The cast as a whole did a commendable job at memorizing their lengthy monologues. Although their usage of the space was not utilized to its full potential, the intimacy created by the black box theater made up for some of the static movement.

The technical components of the production worked together remarkably along with the performance aspects. The costuming for each character was simplistic yet appropriate and was relevant to their stories. The makeup and hair designs additionally furthered the believability of the characters, matching the events of their stories and age differences. Although the sound was abrupt at times, the flash and sound effect of the camera taking the mugshots allowed for fluid transitions between each character's monologues.

The Sagemont School's powerful production of "The Right To Remain Silent" unveils many modern-day issues in society through the tales of these criminals in the form of monologues. So, now that you've finished your donuts and sipped the last drop of coffee, its time to take a break until your next shift, but don't forget to bring a fresh batch next time, rookie.

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Stephanie Maestre
West Broward High School

Submitted for publication to Florida Theater On Stage

Police investigators have always had it rough. They have to sit and listen to hundreds of people's stories. However, The Sagemont School's production of The Right to Remain Silent is not about the police but rather the stories of the criminals. There are comical stories, sad stories, scary stories, and more, showing that not all criminals are one and the same.

The Right to Remain Silent started out as two monologues performed in 1992 in a class by the soon-to-be playwrights Mark Fauser and Brent Briscoe. When their teacher mentioned it to their former teacher, he said he wanted the two pieces to be made into a play. Within a week, the play was finished. Both acts each encompassed 18 hours worth of narratives. However, this is not the version that was performed. This was a condensed version with 12 monologues of "testimonies" as they each went into a booking room to have their mug shots taken.

Portraying a pistol-packing pizza delivery girl in And Here's Your Change, Eva Daskos fluctuated the extremities of her emotions and conveyed those feelings to all sides of the room. Her gut-wrenching retelling of how three men mugged her made the audience's skin crawl and the moment she pulled her gun she sent spines shivering. Her pacing allowed enough time for the audience to process each part of her narrative before moving on.

Santiago Murillo breathed a cold air of comical tension into his character in I Scream For Ice Cream. His understanding of the character was evident in his acting. As he spoke of his love for children, he beamed with normalcy. However, when he transitioned to his mentions of bullies and his own childhood, his insanity began to peek through, slowly driving him mad.

Starring in the Blue Light Special, Ariel Seligman Delgado brought a comical wit to the room. Her tale of a clash with her children and an elderly woman at the department store spread chuckles around the black box and her charisma never faltered. Her snarky personality gave the character charm. Despite the freedom of the black box theatre, some actors hesitated to utilize the space. Though at times some actors were quiet or lacked facial expression, most actors made up for it in the memorization of their lengthy monologues and the emotions in their voices.

The few technical aspects were extremely well executed. Costumes were highly realistic and appeared relevant to the time period. From minute details such as dust coming off a homeless man's sleeves to the authenticity of a 1990s Domino's pizza girl's uniform, Eva Daskos should be highly commended for her attention to detail. The lighting helped transition the scenes effectively and genuinely made it seem as though mugshots were being taken. Sound effects sometimes cut off abruptly but effectively helped to add context to the testimonies and avoid awkwardness during scene changes.

The Sagemont School's production of The Right to Remain Silent is an effective display of the varying types of criminals investigators go through every day and is a prime example of how not all criminals look the same.

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