Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 19

that only some small things went
wrong - in that moment they
realize why they put themselves
through such misery. It's the
feeling of being a part of something
bigger than yourself, and hearing
that applause from the audience,
assuring you that everyone did
their part - that makes it worth
every small sacrifice.
The 2017 fall play will be You
Can’t Take It With You, by George
S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.
The three-act show opened on
Broadway in 1936 and won a
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1937.
The story follows the Sycamore
family, who were raised by Grandpa
Martin Vanderhof to do what
makes them happy and not what
brings them financial success. The
only member who doesn't seem
to take advantage of this lifestyle
is Alice, the granddaughter of
Grandpa Vanderhof. She works as a
secretary for the president of Kirby
& Co. and falls in love with his son,
the vice-president Tony Kirby.
“You Can't Take It With You is an
amazing, funny show that was
written in 1936. The theme is
how everything can be all right
even though it doesn't look like
it. Everyone should come see this
show. All the actors and actresses
are fantastic. All the tech are going
to put on an amazing technical
display, and I think everyone needs
to come see it and support the TA
Players!” says TA Player alum Ian
Purvis ‘10.
The George S. Kaufman and
Moss Hart show was the first play
ever performed on the Garland
Auditorium stage in September
1996, and this fall marks 21 years
of TA Players taking their bows and
giving each other hugs on the same
stage.
“When I started here in '94,” says
director David Hanright, “they
had already started planning this
building. And for two years, we
talked about ‘the new department’
because we’d have all new space in
the art department. I started at the
ground floor before it was built. I
got drafted my first year of teaching
to do the set for the musical which
is when I met Mr. Queally and
Mr. Ouellette, the drama faculty
at the time. During the summer of
1996, Mr. Queally, Mr. Ouellette,
and I took a two week acting
intensive in a Michael Chekhov
technique at USM, and the show we
workshopped was You Can't Take It
With You.
The three of us decided that would
be a great show to kick off the
opening of this space. It's funny,
it's a good play for the kids. The
message is good. It's what goes
around, comes around, you know?”
And what would a family be
without a reunion?

This year, in honor of the show
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