Virtual School Problems
at Riverside High School

Reviewed on April 30, 2021

Madison McKenna
Freedom High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News

Nobody likes detention, and nobody likes deadlines. And when those things are combined with petty arguments or the overbearing weight of virtual life, things will get messy. This much was shown in Riverside High School's performance of Virtual School Problems, which explored diverse dynamics and animated characters with gusto and creativity.

The first skit of Riverside's show, "Detention," featured a mixed group of students from various social circles stuck in detention together. Commendable performances included Arman Jaiswal as Mr. Roberts and Arjun Dawar as Travis. Jaiswal brought energy and vigor to this skit, with ridiculous antics and total commitment to character highlighting the funniest moments. Dawar also brought energy to his performance, but instead as a snobby and stuck-up popular kid, Travis. Dawar's convincing portrayal of a conniving and privileged student kept everyone on their toes and kept the constant stream of high school drama rolling. And this skit wouldn't have been complete without innovating and creative technical elements. Creative use of cameras and editing techniques, managed by Keith Bocanegra, and Arman Jaiswal, kept the eye trained on the main focus of the scene, and thoroughly made up for the unavailability of a traditional stage.

The second skit of the show, called "End This Meet", demonstrated exactly what happens when the drama teacher doesn't show up for rehearsal, or so you would think. A few minutes into the bickering and posturing that comes from animated characters, the actors broke the fourth wall, surprising the audience that the skit was actually about a group of students writing a script about a botched rehearsal. Credit to this creative writing goes to Aenea Bayliss and Rachel Bunch, whose script showed imagination and true range of writing style. Notable performers included Caitlin Pancia as Alicia and Rachel Bunch as Brittany. Pancia played her two different characters with commitment and was able to switch between them flawlessly. Bunch also shone, portraying the picture of the ever-stressed leader of a group of students who would rather be doing anything else other than writing a skit.

The students of Riverside High School did a wonderful job of piecing together their ideas about virtual life in addition to the trials and tribulations of high school. With energetic performances and imaginative writing and directing styles, all those involved deserve to take a bow.

Emily Townsend
Flint Hill School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

Riverside High School's production of Virtual School Problems featured two laugh-out-loud scenes that exemplified how the tedium of Zoom school has united communities over the past year. This student-written, produced, and edited play highlighted the talent, determination, and resourcefulness of cast and crew members alike, in a year like no other.

The first skit, "Detention", took place in detention, complete with friend-drama and an apathetic teacher monitoring the room, while the second, "End This Meet", perfectly captured the chaos of an online theater rehearsal with an MIA director. All characters possessed unique qualities that helped to distinguish their personalities, backstories, and attitudes. One standout actor was Arjun Dawar, who portrayed Travis in "Detention." Dawar brought great energy to the role, and, despite the obstacles of recording on a virtual platform, his reactions and tone made it clear with every line who was speaking. Another performance of note came from Rachel Bunch in "End This Meet," acting as Brittany, a member of the online rehearsal. Bunch's use of asides to the audience--where she would "pin" her screen to give the impression she was letting viewers into a private conversation-- was not only an entertaining and clever way of breaking the fourth wall and providing more insight into her character but also a great usage of technology.

Crew members also had a positive impact on the performance: elements such as the integration of props into the scenes and the versatility of the student-written scripts truly elevated the quality of the play. For example, in the second skit, Shawn (played by Christian Jennings) tossed a football in the air during the virtual rehearsal, not only representing the boredom of the Zoom call but also providing context for his character's popularity. The scriptwriting was another highlight: while "Detention" was written by the Theater Arts I first-year class and "End This Meet" by the Theater Arts IV class, a range of both comedic and empathetic/serious moments was implemented into the skits. Furthermore, the student writers (Beckett Rice, Andrienne Papalabrakopoulos, Arjun Dawar, and Grace Taylor for "Detention," and Aenea Bayliss and Rachel Bunch for "End This Meet") did a wonderful job at writing small parts to highlight each actor, and their character, in different ways. By employing dramatic moments of action, tension, and argument as well as light-hearted, realistic banter, the writing team made sure that an often-underappreciated technical component of theater made a huge impact in the presentation of the show.

With a dynamic cast of visually engaging, individual, and multi-talented actors, as well as students in the technical category who paid close attention to detail, Riverside High School's original performance went off without a hitch or a technical glitch! The theater department's achievements in producing a thoughtful, well-written, and all-too-relatable look at Zoom-school life was a wonderful example of the resilience of communities in the dramatic arts-- both on the virtual stage, and off.

Ivy Ridenhour
Freedom High School
Submitted for publication to Loudoun Now

School can be a lot, whether it's class, going to detention or making a play, there's so much going on. Everyone's got their own problems and gets involved in other people's problems. Riverside High School's production of Virtual School Problems shows us this and shows us that making things virtual only makes them more messy, confusing, and entertaining.

Virtual School Problems is a show made of two student written pieces. "Detention" was written by Theatre I students: Beckett Rice, Arjun Dawar, Andrienne Papalabrakopoulos, and Grace Taylor. It portrayed a detention room full of drama and gossip. "End This Meet" was written by Theatre IV students: Aenea Bayliss, and Rachel Bunch. It told the tale of a group of students preparing a play for class that's due later that night.

Both shows had well written characters with a variety of fun personalities and intriguing plots. The writing in "End this Meet" was particularly fun with asides and fourth wall breaks that kept the audience on the edge of their seats watching out for the next cool moment.

Both of these shows were ensemble pieces, and with so many actors it can be tricky to identify recognizable characters. With no clear lead it's less clear where the audience should focus, and it can be easy to miss out on characters. However, well done character relationships can help to "pin" characters and allow the audience to see the full range of personality.

In "Detention", one such relationship was the dynamic between Madison and Travis, played by Isabelle Simond and Arjun Dawar. Both were bold and clear characters on their own, but together they made a popular duo with just enough exaggeration to be entertaining but seem real.

In "End This Meet", Caitlin Pancia played Alicia, a girl with a little too much confidence. Arzoris Perez Rodriquez played Candice, a distracted teen. Their performances were interesting enough by themselves, but together they created an interesting rivalry that added a lot to the show.

One character that really stood out on their own was Mr. Roberts, played by Arman Jaiswal. Mr. Roberts was a teacher in "Detention" who kept an eye on the students, or at least he was supposed to. Instead, he spent the time meditating and dancing; his antics plus his attitude made him a standout character from his very first line.

All in all, Riverside High School's Virtual School Problems was a show relatable to anyone who has dealt with group projects, high school drama, and, of course, virtual school.

Olivia Elliott
Freedom High School
Submitted for publication to Loudoun Times-Mirror

Everyone knows the struggles that come with the day-to-day life of high school students. Bullies, cliques, and uncooperative project partners make for a challenging ordeal. In Riverside High School's Virtual School Problems, the audience is introduced to all these issues and more.

Virtual School Problems is a divisive theatre production, meaning that two or more groups collaborated to make the final product. A theatre class made up of mostly freshmen created and filmed the first scene, "Detention," while a theatre class composed of seniors produced "End this Meet."

"Detention" was about a group of students, some popular and some not, who are sent to detention. The popular kids are having a party, which threatens the friendship of three of the unpopular girls when two of them get invited and one is left in the dust. Mr. Roberts, the teacher in charge of detention (played by Arman Jaiswal) was the perfect example of an apathetic teacher. Whereas most teachers would have a well-lit teaching space in order to convey authority, Jaiswal's character's square was quite dark, increasing the sense that Mr. Roberts didn't really want to be administering detention. Additionally, Mr. Roberts would intermittently dance, meditate, and watch Desperate Housewives amid the chaos of the clique war with little to no reaction. This hidden gem brought great comic relief to those careful enough to find it.

The writing of this script was well done, with deeply thought-out characters. This success was credited to Beckett Rice, Arjun Dawar, Andrienne Papalabrakopoulos, and Grace Taylor. Little details like kids being glued to their phones and turning off cameras made this a very relatable scene.

"End this Meet" featured a group of theatre students rehearsing for a play. One very interesting effect used in the vignette was the Google Meet pin function which allowed the characters to break the fourth wall. Brittany, played by Rachel Bunch, used this technique the most, bringing to light many of the unspoken opinions that students shared in the virtual environment. Another interesting thing to note was the way the actors physicalized their characters through the use of gesticulation, as their ‘stage space' was quite small. Most proficient in body language was Alicia, played by Caitlin Pancia, whose good posture, head tilts and "it's obvious" hand gestures really brought out the snobby character she portrayed.

All in all, the efforts of the cast and crew of Virtual School Problems helped show the great extent of their collaboration with one another. This resulted in an array of brilliant characters that created excellent personality mashups of both stereotypical and genuine teen archetypes. Want to re-experience the trials and tribulations of high school? Watch Virtual School Problems for laughter, memories, and fun.

Sydney Krug
Flint Hill School
Submitted for publication to Blue Ridge Leader

There are some shows that take us into another world, and then there are those that play off the one we live in. Virtual School Problems by Riverside High School is the perfect example of how students can take advantage of the virtual platform to create new kinds of performances. Virtual School Problems is two one-acts, the first being "Detention" and the second titled "End This Meet." Students directed, produced, wrote, and performed both scenes. Each scene had its own team of writers. The show was produced by Alexander Footen, edited by Keith Bocanegra, and filmed by Arman Jaiswal. The hard work that all participants put into this show was evident while watching.

"Detention" was exactly what the name entails; a group of students gathered in detention, and drama ensued. It was written by Beckett Rice, Arjun Dawar, Andrienne Papalabrakopoulos, and Grace Taylor. The students did a great job of creating an enticing and surprisingly complex plot with a rounded social structure. Each student got to have their moment. Arman Jaiswal brought some incredible comedy as the apathetic teacher. Grace Taylor had a more serious character and managed to deliver the emotional scenes very well. This scene was not set in a virtual platform but instead used technology to create an in-person feel. This included purposefully turning on and off cameras to indicate movement among characters. All the students' videos were clear, and their audio near perfect.

"End This Meet" was written by a senior class. It depicted a group of students trying to get through a rehearsal for a scene they had not yet finished writing. This scene was meant to be virtual, and they used that to their advantage. Written by Aenea Bayliss and Rachel Bunch, "End This Meet" utilized the scarce advantages given by google meet, such as a very specific view of all actors, and the ability to pin someone. They used the second method to fill the screen with only one image. This allowed the actress to speak to the audience, breaking the metaphorical fourth wall. All transitions between actors were as smooth as possible and there was no dead space. It was evident that each actor worked to make their character unique by giving them purposeful outfits and backgrounds.

Virtual School Problems was incredibly entertaining. The work that the students put into this show was admirable. Their energy and enthusiasm showed through in the production. It can be difficult to get anything done when at home, so the fact that these two classes put on full productions with complex plotlines and detailed characters wass incredible.