In the Show: A round-table chat with high school students 

about participating in co-curricular Drama

By Arlene Hardison

Teacher Introduction: Holding Space for Student Voice 

By Jessie Kennedy

In December of 2022, my students and I staged Scott Davidson’s adaptation of Little Women by Louis May Alcott. Similar to other schools, we had not produced a show in nearly three years and this production marked the return of Wildcat Theatre, the co-curricular drama group at our school. However, many things had changed since we last treaded the floorboards of our little cafeteria stage. The senior students with experience in mounting productions, who normally would help train and mentor the new cohort of Grade 9 and 10 actors, stage management crew, sound and lighting operators, and costumers, were long gone. The hiatus meant that we were in a position of rebuilding our once strong program. With this in mind, we made the decision that anyone who auditioned for a part and anyone who wanted to work backstage would be given a role. Given that the play had only thirteen characters, we had extra roles to find and did so by creating a chorus that would perform transitional scenes to music. The chorus and I worked to develop choreography and stage business for these scenes that we attached to the seasons that are featured in the play. One of these included the infamous Maypole dance which is discussed in the article that follows. 

The idea to document and share the students’ thoughts on their experience of being involved with Little Women was inspired by a question and answer period that took place during a matinée performance of the show with local elementary school students. The questions the elementary students asked, and the responses from the cast and crew, highlighted how special and unique an opportunity it is to participate in live theatre. To hear students express thoughts about their experience in their own words was compelling and bearing witness to the exchange between the older students and their young audience served as a reminder of the multiple types of learning that take place when students work together to put on a show. This was illustrated in the way the cast and crew spoke about the challenges of learning their respective jobs, but also how they had felt nervous to go on stage, occasionally dropped a line, or forgot a cue. The space created for them to share their successes as well as their challenges made for meaningful moments of self reflection in which they showed vulnerability and openness. This article, written by Grade 12 student Arlene Hardison, endeavours to capture some of what was shared in the Q and A that day, using many of the same questions that the elementary students asked of the performers and crew. 

Tanesha: My name's Tanesha and I was part of the chorus.

Jaylee: My name's Jaylee and I did the lights.

Ashlynn: I'm Ashlynn and I was on sound.

Maya K: My name's Maya and I was in the chorus.

Avery: My name's Avery and I was the Father.

Mya: I'm Mya H and I was Aunt March.

Arlene: I'm Arlene and I'm in Co-op and I'm gonna write it [the article].

Ms. Kennedy: What was it like for you to participate in this production? Anything come to mind? 

Ashlynn: Wonderful.

Ms. Kennedy: Wonderful? (Laughing) Ashlynn are you saying that for real?

Ashlynn: Yeah.

Ms. Kennedy: Why?

Ashlynn: Well, it was really the first extracurricular thing I've ever done so it was pretty fun.

Ms.Kennedy: So why did you say it was … what was the word you used, Ashlynn?

Ashlynn: Wonderful.

Ms. Kennedy: Wonderful? What was the most wonderful part about it? …What makes you say that?

Ashlynn: Social experience. Being able to talk to people, have new, like, surroundings, do different things like, all that.

Ms.Kennedy: Anybody else want to chime in on that? What was it like for you to participate in that kind of thing?

Avery: For me at first it was very scary. It was the first time I ever … acted in front of people let alone on a stage so it was it was scary for me at first but then once we actually did it and it was over and we all went out onto the stage for like the Q and A it was like a massive rush of energy and it was wonderful and amazing. 

Maya K.:  I do a lot of summer camps with plays and stuff and usually I'm a narrator so it wasn’t really nerve wracking cause I've been on stage before, but it was a lot of fun because it was with people at school and you get to, like, see them in the hallways and things like that. You get to see them and you get to know them and you get to make new friends at school.

Ms. Kennedy: My next question is, and some of you may have answered this already, but what was the best or most exciting thing for you about taking part in this production? 

Mya H: It was probably the biggest role of my acting career yet!… I’ve had really small ones. 

Maya K: .. it was a lot of fun, like, just getting costumes and even if you didn't have any lines it was a lot of fun being in costume and to just be on stage …The most exciting part, to go back to the question, was costumes, definitely cause it was so fun getting to be in them. It was a lot different than what anybody would wear today. 

Mya H.: I feel like getting into costume really got me into the mindset of being ready to be on stage. Like, just getting into the costume I would embody Aunt March. Aunt March has such a big presence on stage…

Jaylee: I liked the teamwork that went into it. Like, a bunch of little components came together. And …you got to socialise a bit with each different department so that was cool.

Tanesha: The coolest part? I think [the best thing was] learning the Maypole dance. I feel like it got us to work together a lot more and got us closer. It took a lot to not bump into each other.

A key scene in the production of Little Women was the Maypole dance. For those unfamiliar with the Maypole dance, in this case, the actors each held a ribbon attached to a six foot pole and walked around it going under and over repeatedly to wrap the ribbons to the pole in an interesting pattern. The actors danced while wearing clothing accurate to 1860, so the female characters wore ankle length skirts and dresses and the male characters wore vests, dress shirts, or suits. The actors commented that the challenge of executing the dance often meant they had to either focus on the dance or on smiling, but found it difficult to do both. Tanesha, a chorus member, shared that since she was taller than some of the other actors it was difficult to go under their ribbons, all the while having to do so in a long, unwieldy skirt. The actors had to dance, smile, and try not to trip or bump into each other!

Maya K.: I think that theatre is cool ‘cause in sports … there is one thing that you're doing. There's different positions but…you're kind of doing the same thing. In theatre, there's… a variety of things. There's costumes, there’s sound, there's lighting, and you can be … on stage off stage. There's different jobs and opportunities to have but it's still just … theatre. And we all kind of depend on each other even if we don't know each other. To put it all together. I've only ever been in one extracurricular activity which is Battle of the books but I think that and like. every other [sport]. is … definitely like a competition but with theatre it's not. It's acting in front of people instead of competing with other people.

Tanesha: …I feel like with the play people would try to work with you instead of against you. When I had rugby I … messed up on the field, I got thrown out like immediately, I was put on the sidelines, and I wasn't allowed to go back into the game because I made that mistake... I didn't have that with the play so I felt better, like less pressure.

Ashlynn: To expand on what Tanesha said, when you screw up a line or something, your teammates or co-actors, they talk it over, you figure out a way to change it, figure something out instead of being like, “you did something bad, you need to fix that by yourself.” Definitely that was different.

Ms. Kennedy: I think that’s nice…because that’s not necessarily… I don’t know… I think that’s great that that’s your impression..

Mya H.: …and the relationship you develop with people while trying to help them with their lines [is unique].

Backstage on Little Women, Jaylee was one of two crew on lighting operation with Ashlynn and her partners on sound. Their focus was running lights and sounds on cue which meant they also had to fix any problems that arose at a moment's notice. Communication and teamwork were a big part of their experience. 

When all was said and done, the end of the production was heartrending to say the least. Castmate Evelyn who played the role of Amy in the play joined us later in the lunch hour and remembered her exit to the hall at the conclusion of the play feeling very emotional. Jaylee commented that "Dimming the lights was awful. Cause that's it. It was done”. Some students recalled the actors, sound and lighting operators, costumers, and stage management signing posters of cast members, and the last performance being bittersweet for all. 

Jaylee: It was really cool how at the end of every show everyone was really emotional and stuff. As a team there was a built relationship because we spent a couple months together. And there was a connection made where everyone was like, “Ah, it's the last show.” It was a big moment for everyone.

Avery: When all the letters were handed out to everybody, I cried then. 

Ms. Kennedy: What would the take away be from your experience? Like, something you remember or a memory, and if you would ever do it again? 

Mya H: A lesson I learned from the production was patience. This was something that I really had to work on and the play really helped. Between the restarting of scenes and notes it really helped me to develop more of a patience for people.

Maya K: One thing that I took away was with all the practices and shows I never really talked to anyone and I was way too nervous to talk to anyone. But then the last show I just ended up talking to people because they were talking about something I liked. So I guess my takeaway is people aren't going to be mean to you.

Jaylee: Honestly I would love to be in a show again. Like, I might audition next time instead of being backstage. I was backstage so I got to look at how everything worked so now I feel more familiar… I didn’t know my partner on lights, Hannah. We had never met before so we had to work together and communicate. And now, it’s pretty okay to just talk to someone and work stuff out if we have to work through something… I can manage teamwork now. And another cool thing that was really nice was the end, when everyone was coming out and the music was playing… I was really proud of you guys. We [the tech crew] worked hard, but you guys [the actors] had also worked hard. And I got to watch you guys practice and like, work together from an outside perspective and you helped each other out and I was really proud when it was done. 

Evelyn: There’s definitely one really strong memory on the final night. It was running out with the music [after the bows]. I remember the second I got into the hallway I started balling my eyes out! … I pulled myself together for the people that were coming by…

Ms. Kennedy: What do you think made it emotional for you?

Evelyn: I don’t know. I was really upset that it was over. Umm…we spent so much time on it and it was so much fun…

Ashlyn: When we pressed that button for the last song… being in charge of that every single night…definitely the last one….like, it’s done.

This production gave students a way to meet new people, get out of their comfort zone, and create new memories. From the expression on their faces as they spoke, I could tell that this was a very enjoyable and emotional experience for all seven students. I wish I could have heard more but alas, lunch was over and so was the interview. I can’t wait to see what future productions have in store!

All photos are courtesy of Jessie Kennedy