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“Moon Over Buffalo” was selected as the 2025 Fall Play just over a month ago. Now, as of November 6th, the show is already running multiple performances per weekend and is selling out quickly. This show is unlike many others that have debuted at Avonworth in the past, as it has multiple casts, a dancing crew, and a brand new space.
“Moon Over Buffalo” follows George and Charlotte Hay (played by Paxon Masters, 12th grade, and Ella Ging, 11th grade). They are two older off-Broadway actors who are starting to fall behind due to their age and the rise of television. The two go to great lengths to uphold their fame, wreaking havoc in their marriage, jobs, and daily lives.
“Every character is different, which is great. […] It really moves the story along, which is really cool,” Ella said. The show is a comedy that was written in the 1990s. The show is described as a “farce,” which is a type of comedy that is physical yet lighthearted.
“I’ve been doing acting for a while now, and I have to say it’s one of the funniest ones I’ve done,” Paxon told the Journalism 1 class. The show is just over two hours long and is “a very human story,” according to Paxon.
“It’s so hard not to break character,” Ella said, “especially sometimes with Paxon.”
The show has two casts, referred to as Cast Q and Cast Z. Most characters are double-cast. For example, one character, Ethel, is played by two different people, Olivia Dower and Norah Schenk (both 10th grade), whose “portrayals are so strikingly different,” Paxon expressed.
Fall Play auditions occur in September, and Frau selects the show shortly after. Once the cast list is created, rehearsals begin almost immediately. The rehearsals become longer and more intense in October until tech week, the week before the show opens to the public. During tech week, all actors and crew members are required to go to each rehearsal. The show typically takes place in November. Throughout the length of the fall play rehearsals, the cast and crew only had “just over a month” to rehearse, Paxon claimed, meaning that the cast had to memorize their lines and learn the show very quickly.
Unlike a musical, the fall play is a theatre in the round, with three out of four sides of the stage having audience seating. The audience is seated on the stage, a lot closer than they normally would be seated for the musical. Another difference would be no specific “set,” just large prop items. The musical usually consists of a larger set, while the fall play consists of smaller prop pieces.
The Drama Department experienced some changes with this play as he renovation of the auditorium brought many benefits to the program. The new stage is very similar to the old one, but it seems to be an updated, more technically advanced space for performers. However, this means that some seniors are “trained on systems that don’t exist anymore” as new spaces are filled with new electronics. The main difference was the new legs, or curtains that hang on the side of the stage. Paxon said that the new legs are “bringing us a couple more challenges” because they are much thinner; they used to be heavy cloth, and they are now more like polyester, which means they do not cover sound as well. The people involved in the fall play have been working around these changes and attempting to adapt to the new atmosphere.
During a set change in Moon Over Buffalo, the crew has choreographed movements. This is rare for the crew, especially during a Fall Play with little music and dancing. Instead of simply moving the props around, the crew now has to do so in time with music. This adds an extra challenge to an already difficult job, but the crew performs the choreography extremely well.
The Avonworth theatre department is a welcoming space, with “one of the closest and most personal atmospheres I’ve ever experienced,” Ella says. Another member of the Drama Department goes on to say that “everyone in the cast and crew is very kind, and because there are fewer of us, it is easiest to get to know everyone. Everybody does their best to support and uplift each other, which creates an extremely positive environment,” said Melody Zheng, 10th grade.
Additionally, many of the kids in the fall play have to balance shows with their homework and other activities. The balance of school work and rehearsals is explained as “easy to balance” according to Melody.
Overall, the cast and crew feel very confident about the beginning of their show and seem incredibly excited to share it with their audiences. Show dates are November 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, and 15th. Special thanks to Frau, as well as the lovely cast and crew members who welcomed us into their space to show us the ways of the Avonworth Drama Department!
Journalism 1 Reporters: Alexandra Eberhardt, Savannah Hoffman, Charlotte Klingenberg, Dylan Puck, Lily Stefanik, Kara Yackoski, Melody Zheng
Edited by Lily Stefanik
It was really cool to hear about all the fantastic work going into the fall play. Clearly, students are putting a lot of time into this and working really hard.