On Oct. 26 at 7 pm, Small Actors director Kelann Sigl came from behind the curtains to welcome the audience. Sigl praised the cast of the show, speaking of their hard work, talent and so much more. This was no exaggeration; the comedy/drama was met with universal praise.

“Definitely the best play I’ve seen Kelann Sigl put on,” said junior Molly Ehrhardt, who has participated in previous plays Sigl had directed.

Small Actors by Stephen Gregg is about Emily (freshman Olivia Dupepe), who auditions for her school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. When the director, Ms. Phelps (sophomore Lillian Stegen), gives Emily a minor, one-line role, she ends up lying to her parents (junior Kara Lewis and freshman Seth Rodivich) that she got the role of Juliet. Hilarity and drama ensue as Emily tries to balance her life through all the preventable chaos. Juniors Declan Lockwood and Olivia King also had notable roles.

Humor was very prevalent throughout the show. Most of the comedy could be found in Dupepe’s anxiousness, the flamboyant performance from Stegen, or the minor details from sophomore Dallas West and junior Luke Smithson, who both got the biggest laughs of the night as they “acted” in Small Actors poor adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The auditorium erupted with laughter on multiple occasions.

“Because it was a comedy, the timing is the hardest part,” Sigl noted. “But they nailed it.”

Of course, perfecting the comedic timing comes with a ton of practice and rehearsals. The cast checked out of school at lunchtime on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the show for up to eight hours of practice.

“[Rehearsing] was definitely stressful at times, but overall, it was so much fun and a great experience as always,” said junior Christine Lirette.

Maybe the most remarkable feat, though, was the inexperienced cast stepping up.

“This was the first time for several of these lead actors to take the stage,” Sigl explained, as it was both Dupepe and Rodivich’s first time on stage. “The rest of the cast just rolled with it.”

Similar to team sports, the cast must work together to complete their goal: put on a great show. The teamwork aspect helps the actors build relationships they didn’t previously have.

“The cast was amazing, and I really had a great time with everyone,” Dupepe eagerly stated.

Not only was this her first play, but it is also her first year at Northlake.

Small Actors received some of the best reactions of any Northlake production in recent memory. Many members of Thursday night’s audience rushed to their peers to advise them to catch the Friday night, Saturday matinee, or Saturday night showings.

“This was one of the better plays I’ve seen, and I’ve been at Northlake for a long time. It was definitely a very good comedy,” said junior Caroline Ellzey.

Senior Gabby Ryan also praised the show’s humor.

“The play provided a light and comical air. It was a very well put together play and you could tell the actors loved what they were doing.”

King, who has performed in countless plays directed by Sigl, still feels the same rush as she did in her first play.

“[Performing] felt incredible. I never get tired of it. I love it.”

King was double-casted with Stegen, which means the two would alternate nights performing as Ms. Phelps. When King was not playing Ms. Phelps, she played a snotty girl who gets the role of Juliet over Emily on Thursday night, which was also double-casted with sophomore Halle McKenzie. Double-casting gives more people a chance to shine on stage and show off their acting chops.

As the cast took their bow to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” the small crowd erupted into big cheers, and Sigl walked out to thank the audience for coming with a friendly grin on her face.

After the cast took their bow, and the actors mingled around with their peers, receiving roses and taking pictures with each other, West (with poorly-drawn hair on his chest) described the show in three simple words: “awesome, spontaneous, and perfect.”