Rumbles and rivalries: Samo Theater’s “The Outsiders”
Captivating. Heartfelt. Truly immersive. Samo theater’s adaptation of “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton drew the audience into the complex emotional struggles of the young Greasers and Socials. In a mix of poignant and uplifting moments, Samo’s Humanities Center was filled with laughter, gasps, and sorrow.
Featuring two casts, “The Outsiders” follows 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis (Jolie Jurenka (’25) and Titus Auger (’25)), who doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of his gang, the Greasers. Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the rival teenage gangs of the Socials and the Greasers combat each other, themselves, and the dichotomy between rich and poor.
Sam Kaplan Fernández / Contributor
Jolie Jurenka (‘25) (left) and Mia Pervan (‘27) (right) look over the newspaper.
Seeing either cast made for a well-crafted experience. Each actor’s unique and dynamic interpretation of their roles added a layer of nuance to the performance. Carlie Ann Kauffman (’25) who played Two-Bit (additionally played by Mia Pervan (’27)) and Oona Schulweis (’25) who played Dallas Winston (additionally played by Valentino Lavin-Diez (’26)), elaborate on their acting experiences.
“My favorite part of acting is the life I can personally bring to each character. There are billions of people in the world that can play this character, but how are you going to make it yours?” said Kauffman.
“It was definitely out of my comfort zone, but it was really fun getting to play with a different side of myself,” said Schulweis.
In both Jurenka and Auger’s short monologues to the audience throughout the show, their deliberate inflection and pauses in their lines showed a deep understanding of the character Ponyboy. They explain how they got in touch with their characters to bring each perspective to life.
“I focused a lot on connecting with the audience to make Ponyboy a character the audience was constantly rooting for,” said Jurenka “being as open as possible so they could see the whole world through Ponyboy’s lens.”
“I feel like a lot of it was just channeling my inner 14-year-old,” Auger said. “Just acting a little immature and not knowing how to handle the more serious things was a good representation of how to play Ponyboy.”
Sam Kaplan Fernández / Contributor
The Greasers Gang, (left to right) Carlie Kauffman (‘25), Deegan Mathews (‘25), Elliot Decker (‘25), Titus Auger (‘25), Valentino Lavin-Diez (‘26) and Lux Auslander (‘27).
The audience was moved in watching the production by emotional stage fighting and famous lines. The choreographed combat was both clearly well rehearsed and surprisingly authentic. Each tumble, kick and slap was followed by a gasp from the crowd. Johnny Cade’s (played by Sophie Castellanos (’26) and Elliot Decker (’25)) pivotal quote, “Ponyboy stay gold,” delivery by both actors was genuine and struck a chord with the audience. Castellanos reflects on her process in portraying Johnny.
“I wanted to tap into the fact that these are kids, that this is someone's story out there…being able to tell other people's stories who aren’t able to tell them themselves is really powerful and special,” said Castellanos.
Behind the lively stage the stagehands and production team tirelessly worked to make this show appear fully seamless. Lighting set the mood for a wild rumble or a compassionate heart to heart. Combined with this, sound effects like the revving of a mustang engine brought the audience even further into the story.
Costume, hair and makeup all additionally enhanced the experience. With a rougher street-ware look to the Greasers and a more upper-class, collegiate look to the Socials. Along with the of graffitied walls and set designed to appear more run down, as if it was from the Greasers side of town, it put the audience back in 1960’s Oklahoma.
By the closing scene of the show, every person in the theater erupted in ongoing applause. They were left not only reflecting on the incredible retelling of the story of divided worlds they just witnessed but also on the relationships and struggles that shape them. Through profound acting, directing and collaboration behind the stage, Samo theater created a powerfully moving production.