Riordan’s fall play “Emma” was pieced together after months of preparation by the hardworking cast who presented the previous shows, “Clue” and “The Sound of Music.”
“The most rewarding part of being in the show was forming the tight knit community of people. We grew so close together,” exclaimed Adam Zakrzewski ’25 who played George Knightly, the childhood friend of Emma, demonstrating a back and forth, love-hate relationship with her.
The adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel features Emma, a bright girl dedicated to finding a match for her friend, Harriet Smith, while remaining ignorant to her own love life by refusing to marry. This production is set apart from others done in the past, because it follows a feminist motif.
“I wanted to do a play to highlight the women who’ve helped build Riordan’s theatre department over the past 75 years,” voiced theatre director Greg Callaghan.
“The theme of this production was educating women. Emma has an education but because of the time period she lives in, she’s unable to get a job or do anything with what she knows. Forward, onward, upward, was the motto of the play, and I hope that it resonates with everyone to make sure that society is a better place for women.”
For the first time in recent memory, which includes the last 10 years, this play featured two different casts. For the Purple Cast, the leads were Flora Denardo ’25 as Emma, Fiona Mulderrig ’25 as Harriet, and Hoorain Farooq ’25 as Jane Fairfax while the Gold Cast starred Julia O’Neill ’26 as Emma, Lucy Galvin ’27 as Harriet, and Annika Turunen ’26 as Jane.
They alternated casts every other show. “It was our first time double casting to get more people involved,” stated Callaghan. “Since we have a large senior class, by casting the same actors we get less new performers.”
Unopposed to continuing this strategy, there’s a possibility Riordan may be seeing more double casting in future productions. The drama department also had the privilege to include international students in their cast.
“I came here because of theatre,” expressed Annika Turunen ’26, a boarding student from Finland. “I’ve been acting for about 10 years, it’s the same wherever you go.”
After performing in her school’s and outside theatre clubs in Finland, Turunen continued her acting career in the United States, starring as Jane Fairfax in the Gold Cast.
The cast and crew worked diligently as one for nearly three months until they successfully put together the performance which drew in hundreds of audience members.
In regards to their bonding, Flora Denardo ’25 said, “I love the cast and crew. We really do feel like a family.”
