Suleika Sandi ’26 (left), Kadija Benzinane ’27 (left), Elia Ahmadi ’24 (right), and Amelia Sipkin ’25 (right) share the stage.
By Rose Lightfoot ’26
Throughout the term, student actors, costumers, and tech crew members gathered in the Paul Mellon Arts Center (PMAC) every afternoon to bring the winter production, Anon(ymous), to life. Directed by Acting Teacher Mr. Bari Robinson, Anon(ymous) is a play inspired by Homer’s The Odyssey. The adaption tells the story of a young refugee as she embarks on a journey across the United States to find her mother.
“It’s about the experience of someone coming from a war-torn area, which is exactly what happens in The Odyssey, right? Odysseus is a soldier who, now that the war is over, is trying to go home. It’s essentially the same kind of story,” Mr. Robinson said. “When you put the immigrant refugee bend on it, it becomes about: what is home? What is home for someone who doesn’t have a home anymore?”
Matthew Choi ’26 portrayed Mr. Yuri Makus, whose name is a play on words of the suitor Eurymachus in The Odyssey. Being in this production helped Choi grow as an actor and step out of his comfort zone. “That’s the same case with a lot of other actors who have really pushed themselves to their limits,” Choi said. “They discover all kinds of ways to embrace their characters and make it the most enjoyable to watch.”
Jinx Hartong ’27 portrayed Calista, the equivalent to the character Calypso in The Odyssey. For Hartong, the most rewarding part of the production process was being a part of the theater community. “The entire cast, they’re all amazing people and actors,” she said. “They’ve made me feel so welcome, too. They just immediately started talking to me and inviting me in.”
While the spotlight often falls on the actors, the technical crew’s work was essential to produce Anon(ymous). The crew consisted of around 15 students and faculty who worked on costuming, stage management, sound design, lighting design, and moving set pieces during the show. Andra Ionescu ’24 was the stage manager for the play. Having starred in numerous plays throughout her Choate career, Ionescu felt very prepared to stage manage this production. “As an actor, I knew what to look for while being a stage manager,” she said. Ionescu’s main responsibility was to call all the lighting and sound cues during the performance.
Her experience with acting has also taught her how actors think, what they need to be reminded of, and how to keep them on track. Ionescu added that being a stage manager also helped her grow as an actor herself. For example, she was able to watch students’ audtions and learn from their mistakes.
The work of students like Choi, Hartong, and Ionescu culminated in three performances on February 15-17 in the Little Theater. The show was centered on themes of identity, family, and belonging. Mr. Robinson hoped that as audiences watched the show, they pondered its core questions: “What is family? What is our obligation to the people that need our help?” Mr. Robinson said.
He believes that part of what makes the play powerful is that it doesn’t answer these questions directly. “An interesting play is a play that does not tell you what an answer is,” he said. “It just asks questions of you and lets you, as an audience, come up with whatever you think is right.” Mr. Robinson hopes audiences appreciated the humanity of the characters in the play’s poetry and see a little bit of themselves reflected on stage.
