With the OST season putting a damper on the end of the school year’s good energy, there is one piece of advice the GlenOak drama department can give us: Don’t feel down when there are clowns in town!

As the curtains close on the seniors’ high school careers, senior Devlin McGuier is set for a big finish. April 28, McGuier’s debut play, Tears of a Clown, hits the GlenOak Theater. After writing, casting and directing the show, he and his crew are eager to share their hard work with the school.

“Tears of a Clown is like my passion project,” McGuier said. “I finished the drama career tech early, like sophomore to junior year instead of junior to senior year, so Mrs Dirham said I could do an independent study. I decided to write and direct a play.”

With McGuier’s desire to take this creative opportunity and turn it into action, he writes an entertainingly dramatic story with circus themes and fun for all members of the audience. The play tells a story about a world where the highest forms of entertainment are jesting and clownery. The main character Bumpkin snaps after Jermane Jangles, the infamous jester, murders poor Bumpkin’s brother Eckles, leading him on a brutal path for revenge.

Although not all audiences may be entertained by clown-on-clown stage violence alone, McGuier also describes the genuine themes that are written into the story.

“I would describe the genre as a comedic tragedy; there are Shakespearean undertones. I know everyone says this, but it is a satire on society. Specifically, social norms, classism and things like racism,” McGuier said.
Performers for the production were not just pulled from GlenOak drama classes, meaning anyone with an interest could audition and get in.

“It’s nice to see Devlin’s creative visions finally be put on stage. It’s nice to be a part of it,” junior Drayden Chapman said. “Devlin is a good director with really good ideas.”

Chapman plays the lead role, Bumpkin, capturing the thrilling emotion of revenge as the plot thickens. Alternatively, junior Savannah Bishop takes on the villainous Jermaine Jangles, and Isaiah McCully plays Bumpkin’s unlucky brother. Many drama kids, along with kids who don’t take that class, can be seen in the ensemble for Tears of a Clown as well.

With McGuier’s two-year awaited vision finally opening on the stage, he urges audiences to pay a visit on Monday. His play not only captures the essence of many real problems, but tells the story in an upbeat and unique way; scenes including tensions between jesters and clowns, fun costumes, and a creative take on the world.

“It’s really just a cool experience,” Devlin said. “In the end, it’s really a silly show about clowns, I think people will really like that.”
The show will perform only one night at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 28 in the black box. The show is free to attend.