Chapel Hill High School’s Advanced Acting class, a combined class of Acting 3 and 4, put on their very first Saturday Night Live (SNL) production on March 22. The student-led production started in mid-February under the direction of senior Dylan Morse and junior Eliza Scott. Students submitted original sketch ideas and began writing and rehearsing the skits in small groups.
Nine skits and three musical guests were featured in the performance, as well as a monologue by host senior Ellen Cruickshank. Nicole Taxman, Graham Hallquist and Cy and I performed original songs throughout the show. Juniors Allison Scott and Cooper Rector hosted Weekend Update and wrote jokes for each other to deliver while blind reading. The show ended with a classic SNL-type political sketch of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk at the White House.
Theater teacher Thomas Drago stated that he was surprised and pleased by the turnout for the show. The black box theater was set up with seating for about 65 people, but over 80 audience members showed up to watch. The theater department aims to make SNL an annual event, but this commitment would depend on active student interest each year.
The show was broadcast live on the theater department’s Instagram page by Drago and theater director Allison Frimmel. SNL was used as a trial for this type of broadcast, and the livestream was successful. Drago said that the theater department would strive to broadcast more shows live from the black box theater now that it has been proven successful.
