Virtual Life
at Fairfax High School

Reviewed on November 6, 2020

Cami DiVenere
Freedom High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News

Social distancing, zoom calls, and buggy internet are just a few things people have had to get used to over the past few months, but Fairfax High School makes light of these relatable pandemic problems with their show, Virtual Life.

Originally a class project, Virtual Life is a collection of four scenes written by students for the virtual format. Each scene tackles everyday situations we have seen during our time at home. From breakout rooms, to tutoring, to promposals, and even a plot to murder a husband, students took on their first digital production with a talented team of student actors, editors, and script writers in order to create funny yet relatable scenes.

Wealthily Widowed, while starkly different from the other scenes, was filled with outlandish comedy and clever twists. Caroline Fines and Tori Miller played their devilishly snarky and murderous widows with the utmost refined mannerisms. Their backhanded quips were made all the more hilarious in contrast with Miller's bursts of anger, that made it apparent how useful the mute button actually is.

Breakup in the Breakout Room, was scarily accurate. Sarah Zakreski's character, Sam, played perfectly off Emma Dulop's Tina, as the laid-back baseball kid and teacher's pet tried to awkwardly avoid Ivy, played by Grace Roti, and Leena, played by Madeleine Tyler. Roti and Tyler's chemistry and convincing performance illustrated the fragility of high school romance, and alongside Zakreski and Dulop's texting and Gretchen Hoffman's occasional appearance as Ms. Fallangee, the scene captured a real-life snippet of how school breakout rooms function.

The Tutor, balanced both authenticity and absurdity all in one. Mikhail Goldenberg, as Mr. Jay, did a wonderful job of showing off the subtleties in online learning. A quick hum to himself before the call and his wholesome mannerisms had him come across as an understanding, helpful teacher. Conversely, subtle would be the last word used to describe Zack, played by Stone Hernandez, who loudly and proudly showcased issues students face with online tutoring. Family members, switching rooms, and leaving because of awkwardness, are just some of the things Hernandez did which added a layer of realism to his otherwise wacky performance.

Zoomposal, had the strongest relationships of all scenes. Trey as John Jennings, the self-absorbed best friend was almost too convincing and annoyed audiences with his lack of self-awareness and constant crunching. It was a sigh of relief when he was finally kicked off the call. William Choi, as Bryce, had the audience rooting for him the entire time. His shy awkwardness combined with his interactions with Jennings made it all the more satisfying when he and Grace Howsare's character, Lacy, finally had a moment of understanding. The cute scene, while short, ended the show with a coming of age moment in an unconventional setting, but still kept a traditional happy ending that left viewers satisfied.

The true highlight of Virtual Life was the students who wrote the production. Students like Tori Miller and Stone Hernandez helped introduce clever and ludicrous bits of comedy while editors, like Madeline Taylor, made the scenes performance ready. Without a stage, writing their own set of scenes made especially for an online format showcased another one of the skills the talented students at Fairfax High School possess. They set an example for just how involved students can be in creating their own productions.

Fairfax High School's Virtual Life, while packed full of comedy, also portrayed an accurate representation of our lives today, and was a reminder that even if being at home feels like being alone, the experience is universal.

Adella Bailey
West Springfield High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

Both a misfortune and an opportunity, this new way everyone approaches their day-to-day lives has undoubtedly been a new experience for everyone. Fairfax High School has been making the most of it; Virtual Life brought together a collection of four student-written scenes, all of which followed events that took place over video-calling platforms.

Within the current virtual world, there are specific situations that many people regularly experience, such as work meetings and class lectures. Despite the seemingly limited subject choices for virtual settings, each scene was incredibly unique, and each story had differently intriguing elements. The collection began with "Wealthily Widowed," a scene written by Tori Miller and Caroline Fines that was based around two widows as they discussed the loss of their husbands. The second scene, "Breakup in a Breakout Room" by Madeleine Tyler, conveyed four different members of a group project within a breakout room and how a particularly rocky couple unfolded. Then was "The Tutor" by Mikhail Goldenberg and Stone Hernandez, following a tutor trying to help his student facing numerous difficulties during their video chat. The final scene of the event was "Zoomposal" by Grace Howsare and Grace Lane, which told the story of a boy attempting to ask his crush to prom over Zoom with some interference from his best friend.

The characters' relationships and conflicts were unique to one another while presenting elements of video calls that people can relate to. The relatability of the characters freezing up, disconnecting, working in breakout rooms, etc. are such relatable topics for students and adults alike. The audience could connect these scenes to their own lives, and that boosts the level of empathy they had for the characters. Various instances could be noted during "The Tutor" when Zack (Stone Hernandez) would constantly be interrupted by family members, have connection issues, and sneakily present himself as though he was paying attention. "Breakup in a Breakout Room" also featured situations that students would definitely recognize; as order began to unravel within the group, Ms. Fallangee (Gretchen Hoffman) would occasionally pop-in to check on their group project's progress. The teacher's untimely entry and the students' surprise presented a comedically accurate representation of countless students' breakout room experiences. With the additions from Sam (Sarah Zakreski), the comically unobliging groupmate added the frustration of working with uncooperative peers to their group project.

Rather than attempting to work around the technological constraints of a Zoom call, these scenes used these new tools to their advantage. In "Wealthily Widowed," for instance, there was a moment in which Jacquelyn (Tori Miller) muted herself to address Alexander (Alex Miller); after hearing news that did not appeal to Jacquelyn, she began throwing things towards the door in a fit, creating an intriguing experience for the audience. The silence in a moment of tantrum was a contrast that added to Jacquelyn's apparent feigned composure. In addition, "Zoomposal" exhibited clever use of the "hang-up" feature; as Bryce (William Choi) began to get fed-up with Trey's (John Jennings) constant interruptions while trying to ask out Lacey (Grace Howsare), Bryce "kicked" Trey out of the call. As one cannot exactly kick someone out of a scene as easily on-stage, this was a great utilization of the options that video-calling platforms had to offer.

This era in the world has certainly brought on many challenges, including searching for a sense of normalcy. However, communities like Fairfax High School have proven that they are not giving up. Virtual Life has set-the-scene for many high school students and theatre-lovers alike that there are still possibilities to create amazing collaborative projects, even from a computer screen.

Ivy Ridenhour
Freedom High School
Submitted for publication to FCPS Community News

Power on your computer, find that link, and turn off your mic. Fairfax High School's Virtual Life is a show well worth seeing on the screen while the stage is off limits.

Virtual Life is an original play written by Tori Miller, Caroline Fines, Madeline Tyler, Mikhail Goldenberg, Stone Hernandez, Grace Howsare, and Grace Lane. These Fairfax students worked together in and out of class to create this uniquely hilarious and innovative piece of theatre. Virtual Life is a collection of four stories connected by their setting, a virtual call. The scenes show everything from "grieving" widows to a "zoomposal"

The show's writing was honest and hilarious, with virtually no flaws. The first scene "Wealthily Widowed" zoomed along at a terrific pace due to witty dialogue and plot twists that kept you on the edge of your seat.

The widows, Margret and Jacquelyn, were played by Caroline Fines and Tori Miller. As the story shifted so did the actors, from a mask of calm composition to shock, anger, or betrayal. Fines and Miller created characters that were dramatic and over the top in a way that meshed perfectly with the dramatic story.

"Breakup in the Breakout room" split from pompous comedy to something familiar to anyone in online school. It combined the hardships of group work, relationship drama, and more. Pulling off so many things at once is hard for any show, so seeing it done so well in this format was incredible.

While the characters weren't great at working together, their actors were. Ivy and Leena, played by Grace Roti and Madeline Tyler, were the perfect bickering couple. In the short amount of time they had, they rendered a realistic teen couple and conflict, as well as distinct personalities. Sam was played by Sarah Zakreski, with her fake bangs and laid back attitude she was convincing and hilarious in every way. Particularly when interacting with Emma Dulop who portrayed Tina, a goody-two-shoes you wouldn't think would get along with Sam but they played off of each other spectacularly.

But it isn't all about the teens, adults live a Virtual Life too. The audience got to see this perspective from Gretchen Hoffman as Ms. Fallangee and Mikhail Goldenberg as Mr. Jay. Every well timed sigh or moment awkwardly waited for the call to begin was a familiar sight. Mr. Jay's relatable nervousness was even better in contrast with Zack, played by Stone Hernandez, a kid who is distracted, with no cares about it.

The final scene showed what can go wrong when a promposal becomes a "Zoomposal". William Choi played Bryce, a pixel perfect portrayal of someone trying to ask out his best friend. John Jennings played Trey, an obnoxiously likable version of the classic jock. Grace Howsare played Lacy. Each of these actors were great in their own right, but what made the scene was their relationships. Lacy and Bryce had incredibly sweet chemistry, and Trey had a great dynamic of annoyance and persistence in the group.

This show wouldn't be the same without its editing which made it feel real. In one impressive moment done by Tyler, the sound of an arguing couple muted, and the viewer's eyes were drawn to a text conversation happening on the other side of the screen. Another standout moment was made by Miller and Fines when a microphone was muted (with an accompanying icon) to make an unique silent scene.

All in all Virtual Life by Fairfax High School connected with the audience in a way far stronger than any Wi-Fi connection, while still managing to make them smile.

Alyssa Medici
Langley High School
Submitted for publication to Patch (Fairfax/Alexandria)

As we navigate our lives during this pandemic, we have all encountered our fair share of awkward, funny, and unfortunate situations. Fairfax High School's Virtual Life presents the highs and lows of living and learning virtually in 4 original, student-written scenes by Tori Miller, Caroline Fines, Madeleine Tyler, Mikhail Goldenberg, Stone Hernandez, Grace Howsare, and Grace Lane. Each scene brings humor and charm to the day-to-day virtual scenarios we too often encounter: two newly widowed women exchange sympathies and banter, a Zoom breakout group introduces the trials and tribulations of working together, a tutor and his pupil face a series of hilarious distractions and issues, and being a wingman via Zoom is easier said than done.

Through the constraints of acting through a video call and all the challenges it presents, the cast of Virtual Life put on a truly admirable virtual performance. Caroline Fines truly shone as Margret, the grieving widow, especially when paired with Tori Miller. The pair fed off of each other to simulate the perfect grieving and scheming widow plot, and stunned the audience with their plot twist.

Ivy (Grace Roti) and Leena (Madeleine Tyler) had phenomenal argumentative chemistry in "Breakup in the Breakout Room", and Gretchen Hoffman as Mrs. Fallangee perfectly captured the essence of the awkward tension of a teacher "popping" into a breakout room unexpectedly. Mikhail Goldenberg as Mr. Jay in "The Tutor" did an excellent job of reacting in time with the sound effects and distractions of Zack (Stone Hernandez); who, in turn, sold the audience with his humorous charades and "technical difficulties." Goldenberg stood out in his attention to detail, particularly with his quiet humming at the beginning of the scene before Hernandez's character joined, perfectly capturing the essence of someone alone in a video call.

In "Zoomposal," the chemistry between Trey (John Jennings), Bryce (William Choi), and Lacy (Grace Howsare) was truly remarkable. Despite the constrictions a virtual show presents, their timing and flow was absolutely unparalleled, and the audience fell in love with Jennings' antics throughout the whole scene, such as his casual snacking on "low fat protein puffs," and his inability to take hints from Bryce.

Despite the performance taking place virtually, and not physically on a stage, the cast did a remarkable job of using the spaces available to them to make the settings of their characters believable. Sam's (Sarah Zakreski) character was really sold by the line of baseball caps adorning his wall in the background, and Zack's switch to an outdoor setting was a hilarious touch, and not one that would be easily replicated in a physical show, highlighting the uniqueness of virtual performances.

The editors did a phenomenal job working with what they had to bring an unparalleled level of realism to the performance. In "Wealthily Widowed", Tori Miller and Caroline Fines' additions of a "calling" sound effect at the beginning of the scene, as well as a "muted" icon appearing at the bottom of Miller's screen made the scene truly believable.

Another impressive editing aspect was the texts between Tina (Emma Dulop) and Sam that appeared on the screen during "Breakup in the Breakout Room." These texts paired with the fading out of the audio of Ivy and Leena's argument allowed the audience to focus on the text conversation and emphasized the illusion of the text conversation happening parallel to the ruckus of the argument.

In this unprecedented time, Fairfax High School's production of Virtual Life bravely pioneered as the first virtual Cappies show of the season, and their admirable scenes and editing have set a tough precedent to be followed.

Kailee St. John
Thomas A. Edison High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

A pair of widows shroud in a mystery, a troubled tutor, and a Zoomposal gone wrong. Fairfax High School's show "Virtual Life" takes audiences on a ride through four short stories, all strung together by the humor of quarantine and the ever-daunting Zoom call.

As the piano swells, two women discuss the circumstances surrounding their husbands' deaths, with twists sure to enthrall any fan of the dramatic arts. Then, a relationship in turmoil threatens to destroy a breakout room science project. Next, follow Mr. Jay as he struggles to tutor Zack amidst a series of comedic troubles, and finally, feel the struggle of Bryce, who just wants to ask his crush to prom, if only it were that easy.

This student written play captures a genuine humor which will not only have audiences laughing, but connects to the relatable aspects of life that could only exist in these abnormal times. Caroline Fines and Tori Miller were captivating as widows Margret and Jacquelyn, giving their characters the perfect balance between mannered class and simmering psychopathy. The push and pull of their banter felt natural despite the divisive circumstances, and Tori Miller's rageful attack was a standout moment, backed only by silence and the expressive facials of Fines.

Breakup in the Breakout Room was a wonderful exploration into the issues that arise when blossoming love mixes with academic stresses. The actors skillfully encapsulated the wild group dynamic, with writing that established intriguing relationships. Sarah Zakreski's portrayal of Sam was a highlight, voicing comical quips that broke the tension at all the right moments.

What more could you want from a scene entitled "The Tutor" than Mikhail Goldenberg's remarkably accurate embodiment of Mr. Jay the math tutor? The subtleties of Goldenberg's performance made him stand apart, from his hand gestures to his slight drawl. The challenges faced throughout the scene felt relatable to all as they navigated singing sisters and connection issues, recounting your own notable experiences. A quarantine twist on the classic promposal, Zoomposal is an immersive sequence with a terrific cast of characters. John Jennings was phenomenal as Trey, a character reminiscent of many a vacuous jock. Jennings's comedic timing was flawless and the crunch of the protein puffs was a waggish addition. William Choi's reactions and truthful depiction of Bryce elevated not only his amusing repartee with Trey, but also his meaningful connection with Lacy (Grace Howsare).

While many would view online performance as a hindrance, the students at Fairfax took the challenge in stride and used the virtual aspect to their advantage. The Zoom viewpoint gives the audience a unique chance to feel completely immersed in the story, made possible by inventive editing. Of note was the texting sequence from scene two, which was edited by Madeleine Tyler and added compelling elements of complexity to the character's interactions. Ingenuity was also prevalent in "The Tutor" as editors Stone Hernandez and Mikhail Goldenberg tackled the task of creating lagging screens and comically high-pitched voices. The writing was commendable throughout the entire show and made even more impressive given the time limitations. Special kudos to Madeleine Tyler for creating a well-developed array of characters with such distinctive personalities, helped in part by the well-suited costuming.

If you have ever thought, what good could possibly come out of quarantine, then buy yourself a ticket and prepare for an entertaining show that makes light of the absurdities. You will leave enlivened at this reimagining of what you have come to know as Virtual Life.

Marlene Brasco
St. Paul VI Catholic High School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

Daily life in 2020 has certainly had its glitches, yet Fairfax High School earned five "bars" by powerfully conveying the nuances of this digital age through its "virtually" flawless show, "Virtual Life".

Written and edited by the students, the four vignettes of "Virtual Life" detailed the conflicts presented by technology and the struggle to relate personally through the video calls so prevalent during COVID-19. By displaying a satirical account of two widows on a video call, the difficulties of doing group projects for school while learning virtually, the struggle to ignore domestic distractions while learning from home, and the hindrance technology is towards forming human connections, "Virtual Life" overcame the technological mishaps described in its narrative to tell an honest, relatable story.

The first vignette, "Wealthily Widowed," written by and starring Caroline Fines and Tori Miller, featured animated acting that expertly complemented the ironic nature of the scene. For instance, Fines's and Miller's wavering, emotive line-delivery was conducive to their characters' pettiness. Additionally, they utilized creative positioning, such as having minor characters make their entrances and exits through bedroom doors, to maximize the minimal space.

The second vignette, "Breakup in the Breakout Room," written by Madeleine Tyler and starring Tyler alongside Emma Dulop, Sarah Zakreski, Grace Roti, and Gretchen Hoffman, used engaging body language to reveal each character's personality. Playing a boy, the actress Sarah Zakreski carelessly slouched in her chair and tucked her hair into a hoodie to portray her baseball-playing character.

The third vignette, "The Tutor," written by and starring Mikhail Goldenberg and Stone Hernandez, exhibited natural mannerisms and innovative "set changes" to engage the audience. Mikhail Goldenberg, playing a tutor, hummed to himself and typed away at his computer as he honestly portrayed the awkwardness of waiting for another person on an online call. Adding layers to the setting, Stone Hernandez wisely stood up and walked around his house as his character found a quieter room.

Finally, in the fourth vignette, "Zoomposal," written by Grace Howsare and Grace Lane and starring John Jennings, William Choi, and Grace Howsare, perfect comedic timing was intermixed with tender moments to deliver a well-rounded scene. Jennings, munching away at his jar of protein puffs, strategically added humor to the scene while Choi and Howsare carried the delicate moments through convincing vulnerability.

Displayed as a video call itself, the play transcended the small boxes of a video call through outside-the-box technical elements. Editors included several of the aforementioned actors and writers as well as Kate Parr. As the format of the play itself was made to look like a video call, the viewer was immersed in each scene. Subtleties such as dial tones, mute buttons, and text conversations combined to accentuate the novelty that is this virtual lifestyle. Backgrounds spoke for the characters as they revealed important personality traits; baseball hats lined Sarah Zakreski's character's walls, ingeniously showing his love of the sport through indirect characterization.

The acting and technical elements of "Virtual Life" throughout the string of vignettes combined to show the distinct struggles technology creates in social settings and the static it inflicts upon relationships. However, Fairfax High School's Wi-Fi was strong as it connected with the audience through a humorous and heartfelt production.