Amanda Xu '25
Sep 16, 2022
We have now completed our return to school, and Stony Batter, Mercersburg Academy’s student theater company, has wasted no time rehearsing for Fall Scenes. Fall Scenes will be performed on two dates, first during the Arts Showcase on October 1 and next on October 8, the following Saturday.
Fall Scenes is a short performance of various one-act plays, often selected from bigger pieces. This year, Matt Maurer, director of arts programming, selected three scenes from the play All In The Timing to perform.
Unlike prior Spring Scene productions, held in the spring, Fall Scenes is a new offering scheduled during this year’s very first Art Showcase. In the first weekend of October, Mercersburg’s Arts Showcase will exhibit many styles of art from theatre to performing vocal groups Magalia and Octet.
Maurer explained, “Fall Scenes will be a part of the first ever Arts Showcase. These three scenes and also a sneak peek of Gas Light.” Gas Light, or Angel Street, is the first Stony Batter full performance, a longer play at the end of October with more rehearsals and a bigger cast.
Typically, there is only one performance in the Fall, but with the addition of Fall Scenes, actors had to multitask with rehearsals for both performances. While this might seem like a daunting task, many actors do not mind the extra rehearsals, with some just explaining that they had less time for homework.
New community and cast member William Tutt ‘25 said, “In my opinion, it’s just having less time to do homework, and I am fine with that because the fun I have at Stony Batter is worth the time I miss in homework.”
Frances Elwood ‘23, a senior working on Fall Scenes had a different perspective on the added rehearsals. Elwood said, “It's no secret that theater can be time intensive, especially during tech week. Fall scenes offer a more relaxed, less time-heavy workload which makes life a lot easier for me as a senior. I'm already balancing class with applications, so a less stressful PGA was a must for me, but I still wanted to do Stony Batter.”
Despite the approaching performance date and rehearsals, there seems to be no concern among the Stony Batter crew. Fall Scenes will take place on October 1 and again on Oct 8, so don’t miss it! Attend a performance full of comedy and wit, and support friends who are involved.
In the words of Frances Elwood, “Mr. Maurer for life!”