Approaching an empty drama classroom during a sunny day after school, four students entered, slung down their backpacks, and prepared to rehearse “The Glass Menagerie,” settling into what had become a daily routine for them.

For five weeks, the cast of four had been memorizing their lines, practicing their monologues, and becoming their characters in the play, which was staged in the campus theater on Sept. 21.

The play, penned by Tennessee Williams, revolves around the Wingfields, a family trying to survive during the Great Depression with an absentee father, a controlling mother, a disabled daughter, and a son desperate to escape.

Angelo Reyes, the drama teacher and director, said “I’ve wanted to do this play for a long time but it never went right. Now that we have the right actors who were dedicated enough, it actually happened.”

Because of a busy theater schedule this year with two musicals, Reyes chose to put this intimate play on early in September and used his most seasoned actors.

The cast of four was comprised of Arianna Perez, Bianca Peterson, Danyal Nayeem, and Gabe Chavez. Reyes said “this play is driven by dialogue. Even though it’s not a musical or comedy, many students will be able to relate because it mirrors real family problems.”

Arianna Perez played Laura Wingfield, the introverted, crippled daughter of Bianca Peterson’s Amanda Wingfield. With only the summer and the beginning of the school year to learn her lines, she admitted to having her grandma help her rehearse, watching the movie, and calling on her memory of seeing this play in the 7^th grade in order to become Laura.

Perez said, “ I see myself in this character. We’re introverted, quiet, and sensitive. I was excited to finally play a character I’ve seen since I was little.”

The play, with its hours of dramatic dialogue, was challenging not just because of memorizing, according to Peterson, but because of the emotional battle to become the character.

“To become Amanda, I had to practice my monologue anytime I could even in the shower. It’s hard because I’m not similar at all to my character who is an overbearing pageant mom.”

For Danyal Naeem, who played Jim, a gentleman caller, it was easy to slip into the role of his character. “Jim is the most realistic of all the characters. We’re alike in a lot of ways and it was easy for me to understand him.”

To prepare for the play, the cast had to report for daily rehearsals after school and were expected to meet outside of school during the summer to work on the play. “It was very self-driven,”said Reyes.  “They had to be willing to make time over the summer and be motivated.”

Reyes was assisted in directing by Kristy Aquino, 2013 alumnae and a former drama student who will be attending the American Dramatic and Musical Academy.

Arianna Perez said “I’m excited to see the play come together into something SC students will come to. Just because it’s a drama doesn’t mean it’s boring.”