La Cañada High student actors stage a comedy coup

Photo Gallery: "Cash on Delivery" comedy at La Cañada High School

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Lucas Hallman, who plays Uncle George, Anthony Crehan, who plays Norman McDonald, and Joseph Sevigny, who plays Eric Swan, perform at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Backstage, the cast hold hands before heading out for their last performance at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Anthony Crehan, who plays Norman McDonald, and Joseph Sevigny, who plays Eric Swan, during the performance at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Vance Redmon, who plays George Jenkins, Caitlyn Mispagel, who plays Sally Chessington, Anthony Crehan, who plays Norman McDonald, and Joseph Sevigny, who plays Eric Swan, perform at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Director Justin Eick gives some encouraging words backstage before the start of the last show at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Abigail Lidar, who plays Linda Swan, and Anthony Crehan, who plays Norman McDonald, run lines backstage at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Kevin Desimone and Daniel Janoian fold programs before heading out to hand them out to guests at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Katy Paynter, who plays Dr. Chapman, and Abigail Lidar, who plays Linda Swan, perform at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Vance Redmon, who plays George Jenkins, gives a nervous yawn backstage at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Anthony Crehan, who plays Uncle George, and Caitlyn Mispagel, who plays Sally Chessington, perform at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Vance Redmon, who plays George Jenkins, during the performance at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Joseph Sevigny, who portrays Eric Swan, holds the phone out to demonstrate a room filled with crying relatives at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

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Lucas Hallman, who plays Uncle George, and Anthony Crehan, who plays Norman McDonald, rehearse lines backstage at La Ca-ada High School on closing night of the school’s first production “Cash on Delivery” on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The school’s drama department will produce 8 shows this school year. (Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

By Sara Cardine

Sept. 25, 2015 11:38 AM PT

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A brilliant gem on the La Cañada High School campus shone earlier this week as students in the theatre department, under the tutelage of teacher Justin Eick, opened the 2015-16 season with the British farce “Cash on Delivery.”

A fun romp about a man who gets entangled — and hilariously ensnares others — in a growing web of lies as he attempts to defraud the government through false claims, the production told no untruths about the many talents of its performers and production crew.

PHOTOS: Students put on “Cash on Delivery” comedy at La Cañada High School

“Cash on Delivery,” which ran Sunday through Tuesday at the LCHS Playhouse, is the first of eight free performances scheduled for the school year. Others include a female rendition of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” in October, the perennial adaptation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in December and “The Sound of Music” in spring.

That this year’s inaugural production drew hundreds of spectators to each performance is a testament to the success of a well-planned program that puts students in the driver’s seat, according to Eick.

“The season that we do here is directly tied to what the student’s are doing in class,” he explained. “We mount eight full plays, and we rehearse the plays in class. So the classwork now has a huge relevance.”

That’s true for sophomore Abigail Lidar, who said what started as a hobby has become a passion she hopes to pursue beyond Spartanhood. Lidar said the comedic role of Linda Swan, the hapless wife of the main character, helped open her eyes to the possibilities of acting.

“I never really thought of myself as a funny person in that way, but being able to be on stage and make people laugh really hard is something that’s inspired me,” she said in a pre-performance interview Tuesday.

This year, in addition to letting students learn by doing, Eick offers brief lectures on acting theory to share different historical viewpoints on the craft. Each lecture is followed by an activity that allows students to employ different methodologies in their character development.

“The idea started germinating in me that there was really nothing to prevent us from giving the kids acting theory alongside the practicum,” Eick said. “To insert a 10-minute mini lesson on theory every day has had fantastic results.”

Sophomore Anthony Crehan, who plays the put-upon character Norman in “Cash on Delivery,” agrees. A young actor with a few short film credits already under his belt, his past LCHS performances include Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” and Jack in “Into the Woods.” Crehan said what he’s learning about acting theory adds a new element to the class.

“It is really interesting being able to apply that,” he said. “When I go up there, it’s not Anthony going on stage. It should be Norman, or Scrooge or Jack.”

Sophomore Joseph Sevigny said he employed one new technique in the role of Eric Swan, the lead role in “Cash on Delivery,” called the psychological gesture. Created by Russian actor Michael Chekhov, the technique involves developing a motion that expresses the character’s mental state, Sevigny explained.

“I kind of pace back and forth to get my blood flowing (backstage) so when I come out I can be full of energy,” he said.

Lidar encouraged local residents who’ve not yet seen a production to make use of the free admission, made possible through the support of the La Cañada Unified School District and Supt. Wendy Sinnette, and come check out a show.

“If everybody had that one play they went to go watch, they would come back every single time,” she added.