One tradition at Pitman High School, that has been going on for while now, is a play called Smoke Out.

It is a production put on at the beginning of the school year, where kids who enjoy theater can come together and portray an inspirational storyline to the rest of the school.

To give a quick synopsis, the actors and actresses are students in the midst of a school rally. They are all having fun and smiling, until everyone pauses, other than one or two characters, who give a look into their lives, which aren’t even close to as cheery as their outer persona.

Inspiration for this year’s plot came to the director and author, Mrs. McBay, in the form of quotes. The two that really stuck out to her were; “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about” and “Sometimes, the prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets. The prettiest eyes have cried the most tears and the kindest hearts have felt the most pain.”

Mrs. McBay confessed to pondering what the play was going to be about over the summer, and it took the crew about 6 weeks to put the whole project together.

She also commented on how she thinks doing a Smoke Out play every year is important because it, “can connect to a lot of people outside of those that enjoy theater.”

Mrs. McBay also explains why she enjoys doing this play at the beginning of the year, “For drama, personally, it is something that really bonds the class. It’s generally a more dramatic piece and they tend to open up and share with each other…at the beginning of the year, it’s a good time just to get the message out.”

This years play surely can relate to many different kinds of people in the school, as even one of the actors in the play states that he, “really connected with the monologue” and he doesn’t even have to get into character because, “..my monologue is exactly how I feel as well.”

The same actor, Matthew Costa, a senior at Pitman High School, shares the hardest part of the whole production, “The hardest thing about this play is how many times we have to freeze and how long we freeze.”

As you can see, the performers work really hard on this play and the viewers definitely notice.

A student at Pitman, who preferred to remain anonymous, vocalized, “I think it was very well done. The actors did a very good job at portraying characters with a hard lifestyle.”

With amazing directors, astounding performers, and viewers who are eager to watch, Smoke Out plays will continue to be a loved tradition at Pitman High School.