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'Hallways of Our Lives' Soap Opera Parody Has Cult Following

By Justin Breen | December 11, 2014 6:01am | Updated on December 11, 2014 7:04am
 "Hallways of Our Lives" is a soap opera parody created and starring Whitney Young High School students.
Hallways of Our Lives
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NEAR WEST SIDE — People who don't like soap operas might get a kick out of "Hallways of Our Lives," a parody of the television genre created by and starring Whitney Young Magnet High School seniors.

The show, which airs weekly on YouTube, has drawn a small cult following of Whitney Young students and teachers for its silly plot twists and turns, highly overdramatized acting and general good nature.

"I had this sophomore come up to me and say, 'Oh my God, that's my show!' and a lot of the teachers like it too," said show creator and head writer Rachel Brown, 17, of Ravenswood Manor.

Said director Sophia Catania: "It's really stupid, but it's supposed to be."

 "Hallways of Our Lives" is a soap opera parody created and starring Whitney Young high school students.
"Hallways of Our Lives" is a soap opera parody created and starring Whitney Young high school students.
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YouTube/Hallways of Our Lives

The three-minute segments are assignments as part of an Honors TV Production class taught by Jay Rehak, who's been at Whitney Young for 22 years. It's the first time in his tenure he's had students make a soap opera in the class.

"I think it's hilarious," said Rehak, of Bowmanville. "It's genius in the sense that it's original, which I enjoy. I always ask my students to try and impress me with something different. I'm not really a big soap opera fan, but I'm a big fan of soap opera parody. I've even got my mother-in-law watching it now."

"Hallways of Our Lives" — the name pokes fun at "Days of Our Lives" but has absolutely nothing to do with that soap opera — revolves around a female student, Julie (played by Kiana Caston), who comes to a new school and there's "something not right about her," Catania said. Spoiler alert: A major development is revealed in the recently aired "Episode 109" — the mid-season finale.

"People really want to see what's happening to these characters," said Catania, 18, of Morgan Park.

The cast and crew consists of eight students who spend about an hour taping the show and the rest of the week editing it, adding subtitles and various music background and other special effects. Nine episodes have aired, plus a "Bloopers" show that was released Wednesday.

"My favorite part is when I read the scripts because they're so funny," said Damaris Eison, 17, of Morgan Park, who plays the role of Marissa.

It's also been a perfect opportunity for Catania, who wants to direct films, to hone her creative skills and obtain valuable experience.

The same goes for Brown, who already performs standup at open mic nights and has dreamt of working as a comedy sitcom writer since she was 12.

"I realize now that it's not impossible to write a television show," Brown said.

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