A comedic, entertaining, and heartfelt play, Canyon Vista’s one act performance of the play The Boys Next Door was an incredible production that created immeasurable, deep, thought. The show was taken to the first ever One Act spring competition for Round Rock ISD middle schools, and there The Boys Next Door won first place out of all the middle schools with the awards Best Actress, given to Magda Rhia, All Star cast given to Alexandre Prikhodko, Colin Partridge, and Elijah Pollack, and honorable mentions for All Star, which was given to Sanat Dubey, and All Star crew for Clarissa Garcia. The Boys Next Door was also performed at Canyon Vista as both a school production and at our enrichment day, which gave a way for those unable to see the show an opportunity to see it.

The Boys Next Door is a mature play following the story of four mentally disabled men, and their social security worker caretaker Jack, who is slowly getting burnt out, watching them all. The story follows the men’s adventures, antics, and the basic day to day experiences of their lives. There is Arnold, an insecure, energetic, persecution complex, Lucien, a mentally retarded man with a fascination of large books, Barry, a schizophrenic who has himself convinced he is a golf pro after his father kicked him out, and Norman, another mentally retarded man who works at a donut shop. The five work their way through life until Jack finally quits, and the play ends.

An incredible thing about the show was that the Canyon Vista performance was cut due to UIL rules, although the play itself isn’t missing anything. The feeling, depth, and message are still there, and that’s what’s important. Another thing you can’t tell about the show is that both casts only had about ten rehearsals before opening night, which was the first night the cast ran the whole thing through. As someone who has participated in after school productions before, I think it’s safe to say that it takes an incredible amount of talent to produce a show as complicated and mature as it was in a matter of weeks. It was a thoughtful, unique production, and despite all that happened due to timing and rules, I think that The Boys Next Door was a phenomenal show.  

“It was a very different play, it felt more realistic and I could really connect to some of the characters.” Aedean Harrod (7) who plays Arnold in the second cast said “I really loved getting to work on a more serious play while many other shows have been all about the comedy.” As a more serious show, with mature, real world topics, The Boys Next Door has required a hard-working cast and crew to manage this production, and the overall result has been stunning. It touched the audience, and sent a powerful message about acceptance and respect for everyone, while still being entertaining and intriguing. I personally think that The Boys Next Door had a positive impact on the school, and with it being such a realistic show it gives students a new point of view on the world.  

The Boys Next Door was a truly special performance. It wasn’t just a school production, or an enrichment day activity. The Boys Next Door showed the district the full talent of Canyon Vista Theatre. At UIL, this unique, incredible, show blew the judges away. The cast was dedicated, despite the limits that were put upon them and the short rehearsal period, and the talent of the participating students sent a message to everyone that watched this fantastic performance. Thanks to The Boys Next Door, a different aspect of theatre was put out on our stage.