‘Stay gold, Ponyboy’: Maine West to present ‘The Outsiders’

Maine West High School’s Fine Arts Department will present its spring play, “The Outsiders.” This heartbreaking, coming-of-age drama will be showcased at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 23-25, in the Maine West Auditorium, 1755 S. Wolf Road, Des Plaines.

Tickets may be purchased at tinyurl.com/yvhufhad or at the door. Admission is $7 for students and $12 for adults.

Based on the bestselling novel published in 1967 by S.E. Hinton and adapted by Christopher Sergel, “The Outsiders” is told through the eyes of Ponyboy, a young teenager in rural Oklahoma who gets caught up in the rivalry between the Greasers (the underprivileged poor kids) and the Socs (the socially advantaged wealthy kids). When Ponyboy and his best friend Johnny get into a brawl that ends in tragedy, the boys and their greaser buddies must contend with the consequences of their violent lives.

“I truly love this cast a lot,” said sophomore Lianna Ritti, who plays the Soc Cherry Vallance. “There may be actors playing Greasers and actors playing Socs, but as people, we all work together really well. Throughout this process, I learned that Greasers and Socs are just people, and no one should be treated differently. Just like in real life.”

This play challenges the stereotypes of each group, showing that there are individuals from every social class who face personal struggles. Students of today can still relate to the themes in this classic story.

“’A person can find humanity even in the most dire of circumstances’ is a lesson for everyone,” said Judy Klingner, the director of the play. “Ponyboy learns that he doesn’t have to be defined by his status as a Greaser. He realizes that he has the power to make difficult choices and do the right thing.”

Dallas, the most dangerous Greaser, is described as rebellious and reckless. Despite his criminal past, he is intensely loyal to his gang and deeply protective of Johnny.

“Creating the character of Dallas has been a great chance to work on letting emotion shine through anger,” said junior Tristan Okurowski, who plays Dallas. “As the ‘tough guy’ of the show, Dallas lets his anger get the best of him in nearly every situation, but when it comes to his friend Johnny, whom he treats like a younger brother, he shows his vulnerable side. This is a new challenge in my acting that I’ve enjoyed working on.”

The rest of the cast includes: freshman Ella Antonopoulos, senior Jacob Barcena, senior John Barva, junior Mateo Cruz, freshman Robert DesRoches, junior Milo Foy, junior Amethyst Gage, junior Leonardo Garnica, junior Charlie Igartua, senior Cristopher Lawpattanapong, senior Emmanuel Mornu, sophomore Elisa Murillo, senior Addie Ortega, junior Viviana Perez, senior Sam Rubio, senior Sabeen Saleh, sophomore Wren Sewell, sophomore Jeremiah Sutton-Williams, junior Devon Trejo and junior Sterling Weinand. Senior Deana Torres serves as the student assistant director.

The set is designed to give the feeling of being in a junkyard to show how impoverished the Greasers are. Stage manager Mateo Maisonet, a junior, expressed that the technical elements of the show will help the audience follow the narrative style of the show.

Under the guidance of technical director Peter McManus, the lights, sound and special effects crews are creating powerful images for the church scene and the rumble. The goal is to present a gritty, honest and authentic production.