
Members of the MCHS Group Interpretation team performed “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the IHSA State Finals. In front: Kyle Fitzgerald ’13 (Park Forest) and Jaboukie Young-White ’12 (Harvey). Second row: Pia Lyander ’13 (Hazel Crest), Hanna Lang ’13 (Monee), Mary Lou Herbias ’11 (Calumet City), and Bernadette Senick ’12 (Tinley Park). Back row: Al Gallinaro ’11 (Monee), Conor Keane ’11 (Oak Forest), Nate Jackson ’12 (Sauk Village), and Cooper Packard ’14 (Lansing). (PHOTO SUPPLIED)
Marian Catholic’s ten member Group Interpretation team places third at the IHSA State Championships.
Chicago Heights, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Group Interpretation (GI) is an event offered in March with only two tournaments, Sectionals and the State Finals. It is a thirty-minute performance, in which three or more students present a piece of literature, working cohesively as an ensemble.
Anchored by seniors Alex Gallinaro, Mary Lou Herbias and Conor Keane, the group’s presentation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, impressed audiences with both “Southern” humor and uncomfortable racial tension, common in depression-era Alabama.
Keane, who played family patriarch Atticus Finch, said “Although I’ve been in GI for three years, and we’ve reached the state finals each year, this was the most difficult role I’ve had. Playing an adult with such personal courage and conviction required a great deal of focus and effort.”
Herbias, having started out as a member of the crew, earned speaking roles as both a junior and senior.
“I personally like the amount of work that goes into these productions,” she said. “It’s what motivated me to audition. Every individual has to give 100 percent to be successful as a group.”
“The entire cast worked hard to master the dialogue, which is completely foreign to their way of speaking,” said Mark Donaway, Marian’s Speech coach. “Giving a piece with such racially-charged undertones to a group of high school students only illuminates the depth and range of their abilities. The Marian Catholic community, with its rich diversity, is a supportive, caring environment where students can really go all-out in their performances.”
Hard work does not go unrewarded. Marian Catholic has placed among the top speech teams in the state for several years.