Ivy Day

by Arianna Muñoz

10 September 2024
Golden Goose Theatre

“[Arianna’s] ability to engineer moments of tension from the script was impressive enough, but their ability to keep this tension up for an extended period of timeplay was overall brilliantly directed, with a simple set and even simpler scene changes.”“Arianna Munoz’s sensitive direction and quick pace works with the emotions, accusations and betrayals in a tense drama.”



“Director Arianna Muñoz does an excellent job of creating the world in which these students live. She offers up some memorable scenes, including a party scene where you really do feel like you’re in a nightclub, a commendable effort given the space offered to her.”

 
Ivy Day is a new play written by myself, a dark comedy which explores the American university admissions system. Following a rehearsed reading at The Space Theatre, Ivy Day premiered at The Golden Goose Theatre.

I had essentially written for myself the exact type of script I enjoy working on - whip-sharp, fast-paced dramas that tackle difficult topics head-on while still maintaining a biting sense of humour.

As a director, then, I focused predominantly on performance for this production - the setting of a classroom required little elaboration, the audience was drawn in by the petty high school rivalries and later, intense discussions of racism, sexism, and bias in university admissions. Physicality was rendered as sharp as the words themselves, with characters moving around the room as truths came to light and alliances changed with unnerving swiftness.  

Photos by Isab Woolston. 

Cast

Andrea - NP Zinger

Hailey - Charlie Scott-Haynes

Jack - Ryan Keyes

Lee - Owen Igiehon

Rachel - Emma Dawes

Berni - Rob Monteiro

Crew

Writer/Director  – Arianna Muñoz

Producer  – Sarah Walton-Smith

Assistant Director  – Isab Woolston

Lighting Designer - Ewan Woods

Sound Designer/Composer - Finlay Waugh

Rehearsal Photographer  – Tori Somerton