Presenting "Cacaphony"

“Cacaphony,” an original play co-written by Upper School drama teacher Mark Edwards and Lexi Lee ’22, explored contemporary societal woes resulting from an oversaturation of noise—including news and social media. The play examined what our present-day society might look like when isolated inside a diner on Manhattan’s lower east side.

1. The Bar

The bar was designed by Joshua Miller, theatre technical director, and built by Upper School tech crew students. It featured a hinged counter, which the actors could lift up and walk through. “I wanted the audience to see the inner workings of a restaurant, and having an open-air bar was critical for that,” said Edwards.

2. The Decor

Set designers hid political symbols, like hammers, sickles, donkeys, and elephants all over the set.  “Because the play was making commentary on the political system, we decided to insert those little pieces of subliminal messaging,” said Miller. Other set décor items came from AP Art students and even Edwards’ own home.

3. The Challenges

One of the biggest challenges for Miller was the limited availability of raw materials due to supply chain issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’d say that about 85% of the set was built out of wood we had left over from last year. But the kids got really creative and built a spectacular set.”

4. The Script

Edwards and Lee ’22 began collaborating on the script in May 2021, and by early October they had a finished manuscript at nearly 70 pages long. Although Edwards had written original plays before, Lee had not. “I’ve been writing plays for 25 years, but I think I learned as much from her as she did from me during this process,” said Edwards.