Every year, four seniors are chosen to direct a show of their choosing in Studio 200, the black box theater at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Between five and 12 people typically apply for the four slots each year, according to Linda Burns, the Studio 200 sponsor.
The first show of the 2023-2024 school year was “Sunflowers” which was directed by senior Lauren Rainey in a production that ran Sept. 20 through 22. Unlike other Studio 200 shows, Rainey not only directed the show but also wrote it. “It’s surreal, absolutely surreal. I don’t really have the words to describe it because I didn’t think it would ever happen,” said Rainey.
“Sunflowers” tackles the difficult subject of eating disorders with the seriousness the subject requires, while incorporating moments of levity. “Sunflowers” tells the story of Daphne, a 15-year-old girl who is struggling with anorexia. When she enters a treatment facility for her eating disorder, she meets Alexander, Chrissy and Hallie, fellow teenagers struggling with eating disorders. These friendships change her in ways she never could have predicted.
While telling the story of how eating disorders affect teens, both physically and mentally, Rainey aimed to keep her characters from becoming two-dimensional. Every character in the show had their own interests and ambitions outside of having an eating disorder.
These unique interests were intended to not only humanize the characters but also create some memorable moments of levity. In scene five, Daphne talks about all of the changes made in Disney’s “Hercules” that weren’t part of the original Greek myth. The audience gets a chance to learn more about who Daphne is; she becomes more realistic and a more empathetic character to the audience, as well as adding to the development of the relationships between the characters.
Because “Sunflowers” was an original production, none of the audience members could predict when these moments of laughter and joy would occur, any more than they could predict the heart-wrenching parts.
The fact that this was the original production also gave the actors a unique opportunity. “I also like doing stuff that’s not original, ” said junior Samaya Williams, who played therapist Tatum. “Then I feel like I have to go watch, because you want to get inspiration and understand the character more. But being Tatum, there was no one else to refer to…so I was just like, how do I play this therapist? So it was interesting, also more pressure, because it was the original.”
With no previous productions of “Sunflowers” to pull from, an emphasis was put on helping the actors connect with their characters and bring these complex people to life. “It’s such a good thing making each character like they’re really their own individual person,” said senior Mia Kamenski, who was the assistant director for “Sunflowers.” “And so in general, it was just really fun to like to see the actors, you know, add their own little quirks and stuff in each character.”
Flushing out these characters is something that matters in any show, but especially this one. By portraying all types of people, it shows that anyone can be affected by an eating disorder. It is estimated that one in five teenagers have some kind of an eating disorder, according to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in March of this year.
“I think it’s something that people need to know about, because it does happen to so many people and because it is so common,” said Rainey. “I wanted people to know…how to help, how there are a lot of people struggling, but I think the most important thing I wanted people to know is that recovery is possible.”
