Kyle Gerstel’s theater life has gone from acting as an Oompa Loompa to directing a play that features demonic puppet possession.
On the evening of June 4, the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) sophomore gripped the director’s reins for a teen-driven production of Robert Askins’ “Hand to God” as part of Seattle Repertory’s YouthFest at the Bagley Wright Theater.
Starring MIHS Drama 2 students Greg Chvany and Annabel Rimmer and including MIHS student stage manager Mischa Gregory, the Tony Award-nominated subversive dark comedy treads into religious, sexual and violent territories.
It’s shocking and emotionally cathartic, said Gerstel, 16. And the performance was successful.
“It was pretty incredible getting to work in such a large space. Just having so many members of the Mercer Island community and folks in Seattle come together to experience the show,” added Gerstel, who is a producing artistic associate with Penguin Productions. “I think that it’s probably the most energy I’ve ever felt in an audience for a show that I’ve directed, so that was very exciting.”
After perusing the first 10 pages of Askins’ script, Gerstel was enthralled to read more and delve into the puppetry play realm. He’s always been fascinated with puppets and has collected copious figurines since he was a youngster.
Gerstel said it was a bold move to bring “Hand to God” into the YouthFest sphere, adding that the actors and production team members said the journey took them to their creative peaks.
“Audience members I didn’t know came up to me after the show to say it was one of their favorite shows they’ve ever seen, youth or professional,” he said. “’Hand to God’ asks the question, ‘When are we to blame for our actions?’ without settling for simple answers. It speaks to the modern teenage experience and universal desire to embrace impulsivity with fearless authenticity and a hint of absurdity.”
Next up on Gerstel’s directing schedule will be performances of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ hilarious morality play, “Everybody,” which is slated for the Luther Burbank Park Amphitheater at 7:30 p.m. on July 21-22. The cast will feature a host of Mercer Island students displaying their acting skills in the great outdoors.
In the past two years, Gerstel has co-directed a pair of MIHS Drama 1 shows. His first director gig took place in eighth grade when he led the way by bringing “The Addams Family Young@Part” musical to Islander Middle School.
On the acting front, Gerstel’s first public performance was portraying that aforementioned Oompa Loompa as a fourth-grader in a Youth Theatre Northwest production of “Willy Wonka Jr.” at the Stroum Jewish Community Center.
When he’s not directing these days, Gerstel can be found acting with his Drama 2 class at MIHS and with the Youth Theatre Northwest Teen Conservatory.
Leadership, communication and empathy are three of the many skills that Gerstel has added to his personal-growth arsenal since entering the director world. After signing off from a Zoom production meeting at the start of the “Hand to God” process, Gerstel said his mom had been listening in and was impressed with his interaction with the others on the call.
“I thought that was kind of a nice moment because I realized whether I go into theater professionally or not, these are definitely important skills that directing requires and it’s such a fun way to hone those skills,” he said.
For more information, visit http://penguinproductionsseattle.org
Lydia Mushkatina (right) and Greg Chvany (left) act in “Hand to God,” which was directed by Mercer Island High School sophomore Kyle Gerstel and performed on June 4 at Seattle Repertory’s Bagley Wright Theater. Photo courtesy of Tera Winter
