For many teens, summer means hanging out with friends at the beach, working a first job, or learning to drive.
One group of Belmont High School students, however, have decided to use their creativity and bring their love of theater to life.
Selim Efe and Daniel Sheffield, both 17 and rising seniors, and Anneliese Mireles, 16, a rising junior, came together with about nine other friends to create The Belmont F.O.O.L.S. (Flock of Optimistically Living Students), an entirely teen-run theater group. All are members of the school’s Performing Arts Company (PAC).
After weeks of hard work, on Aug. 6, the F.O.O.L.S. will be putting on a four-play show called “Revision” that will include two original and two established plays. The performance will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Morrissey Hall at the Belmont Public Library.
Wanting “to bring together a bunch of individuals who might not have had as many opportunities on stage during the school year,” Efe said many of the participants “have done tech … or costumes or sound. All of them have so much talent.”
With the F.O.O.L.S., the students “can show off the interesting and unique things that they can do,” he said.
The dozen teens have been rehearsing inside the library as well as outside so they could be more “boisterous” in preparation for the performance, which was created without any help from adults.
Efe will direct the two pieces he wrote, and Sheffield and Mireles will direct the other two works. None of the students had ever directed a play before, and all are eager to bring their visions to life.
Sheffield, who said he enjoys seeing how different people interpret the same play, is aiming to bring a new vision to the established pieces he and Mireles are directing: “Corybungus,” by Stephen Bittrich and “Sure Thing,” by David Ives.
One of Efe’s original creations, “George,” will likely resonate with many viewers since it focuses on Curious George, one of the most famous characters in children’s literature.
Efe was inspired after finding an old copy of the story about a mischievous monkey by H.A. and Margret Rey.
“It was a favorite when I was little,” he said.
In the monologue, George is an adult reflecting on his relationship with the other protagonist, the Man with the Yellow Hat.
Although Efe said the premise sounds “kind of absurd,” the work ended up as “a more somber piece than I thought it would be when I started writing.”
However, there will be some lighthearted elements since the actor portraying George will wear a brown suit and have a bunch of bananas.
His other original piece, “Fictions of a Writer,” is about a writer who is attempting to “remold” her past, said Efe.
As for the future of the F.O.O.L.S. after the one-night-only show, the students said that although there will be many other commitments during the school year, they aim to keep writing, meeting up, and creating performances during future breaks.
“We plan on continuing this,” said Efe.
