The most recent play in Central Kitsap High School’s set of student-led productions is “Waiting for Death”, a 20-minute romantic comedy that focuses on the existential questioning of life. The play is about the embodiment of Death falling in love with a human woman named Alice, leading him to question if the joys of love are worth the pains of eventual loss. The director of the play, Junior Juancho Perez, hopes it will have a large emotional impact on the people who go to see it, despite its shorter run time.

“I just want to make people cry,” Perez said. “If I don’t hear at least one person just crying in the audience, I’m going to be super upset, because that was kind of the goal. There are two scenes in particular that I’m not going to give away, but I wrote them specifically with the intention of just making people cry.”

When he started the play, Perez wasn’t sure what his concept would be initially, just that he wanted to write a play for the Spring Drama Festival. He approached the writing process differently than his previous projects because of the time constraints he had, both in the length of the play itself and the quick deadline and turnaround time he had to contend with. 

“I heard that Mr. Timm wanted to do student-directed plays, and I was like, sign me up for that,” Perez said. “I needed stuff for my film school portfolio. I was debating what to write. I knew we had a time limit because these are short plays…I wrote that entire show in the span of 2 days, because it’s like 20 minutes. I was reading a ‘Spawn’ comic, and then there was one quote from the comic where he basically goes, all I know is pain. Something about that just triggered an idea in my head. I ended up writing like 5 scenes that night, and then the next day I ended up writing 5 more scenes to connect them.”

Because of the play’s limited, the crew is putting extra effort into making the most of its short runtime by making it visually striking. A large part of the production is the color language in the costuming choices being made by Perez and lead costume designer, Sophomore Gwen Kassler. Through a mix of methods, including reusing older costumes, the two of them have put together a group of costumes that they hope to showcase each of the characters’ personalities in a single glance.

“Susan’s costume is the one that was Morticia’s dress [in the Addams Family play], and it’s stunning, especially on Alyssa,” junior Haylee Noel, who plays Alice, the love interest said. “Life’s costume is so pretty. It’s just, like, a pretty yellow. I get to wear a white dress because you gotta be innocent. And then just great costumes. Like, we have Gwen Kassler costuming, and she’s doing so good.”

“Waiting for Death” features a small but very dedicated cast of actors with a range of experience levels. Each member of this group brings a different perspective to the show, hoping to embody their character in the most authentic way. Although they all work in tandem onstage, behind the scenes, everyone has a unique way of getting into their character’s headspace, furthering the variety the show hopes to display. 

“I read the script over and over again, and I think of ways I can improve on what I’ve done,” Junior Alyssa Elkins, who plays Susan, one of the antagonists said. “I also act like the person when I’m at home and stuff. Not when my family’s home, though, because I actually care about keeping that relationship stable.” 

The show aspires to resonate with audiences by blending its introspective messages about life and hope with a traditional romance and comedic side characters. Using this accessible format, it can convey its messages to the audience in a way that anyone can understand with ease. 

“What I want people to take out of this is don’t be afraid to love,” Perez said. “Life is very short. You can’t spend your time being afraid of chasing the things you want. I feel like in today’s world and today’s atmosphere, people are afraid to chase real romance. I feel like people are afraid of commitment. I feel like people are afraid of sharing their feelings and everything. I want people to know that it’s okay to just be vulnerable and to show love to people.”