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| Emma Bennet (sitting) plays the role of Nala |
“The
cast has worked very hard, having begun preparing for this show back in October,
and I’m so happy to see the continued support from our community,” said
Wassick. With nearly 80 overall volunteers, many of them without children in
the middle school, contributing to productions like this one, there was plenty
of thanks to go around.
Among
those numerous volunteers, were four Windham High School students who were part
of an all important crew. One of them was assistant director Libby McBride, a
junior who had been asked by Wassick if she would like to help with the show.
“I
grew up doing plays with Mary at WCST (Windham Community Stage Theater) in
middle school,” shared McBride. “I’ve never been a director or anything like
that, so when asked, I was beyond excited! I have always been an actor, singer;
always on the stage. To be behind the scenes was great! It’s been really fun.
I’ve really enjoyed it,” she continued.
When
the curtain rose it was immediately obvious that the cast of characters were
enjoying
themselves and feeling quite comfortable in costumes made possible by
volunteer Becky Merriman. Her 300 to 400 hours of time investment was obvious.
“I started collecting materials for the costumes in June of last year
immediately after the conclusion of the Shrek show,” shared Merriman.
“This
production was probably the most complicated with a cast of 40, that task was
obviously daunting,” she said. There are 170 costumes and that doesn’t count
how many pieces are involved in each one. There are a lot of moving parts,”
confirmed Merriman. Has it been worth it? “It’s been a great time! I love
working with Mary and Angela.”
During the first act it was evident the
players were in their comfort zone, feeding off the numerous responses of
laughter and applause after each and every exit for quick set changes. The set
was built by middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
teacher Jason Lanoie; another dedicated volunteer who spent his time off from
teaching during school vacations to work on the set.
“It was the only time
available to do this, but I enjoyed being part of the show,” said Lanoie.
In the audience was Nicky Calden,
mother of Molly who played Timon. Now 13, “Molly has been doing this at
multiple theaters since the age of eight, most recently as the donkey in Shrek,”
said Calden. The character of Timon requires a comedic demeanor and according
to crowd response, Molly’s previous role as Donkey paid off.
With intermission came time for a
look behind the scenes. Back stage cast and crew were preparing for costume
changes that involved face painting as well as garments. The transformation was
seamless and not without a little age-typical banter and a willingness to share
their thoughts.
In particular, were 11-year-old
Morgan Wing (young Simba), Chloe Allen (one of the hyenas) and Daphne Cyr
(Zazu) who shared their young passion for the theater and the fun they have
working together.
“This is a lot of fun. I enjoy doing
this and performing with the other kids,” said Wing. They all agreed, as they will
be performing together again in the upcoming junior version of The Wizard of
Oz.
After the show and a well deserved
standing ovation, Wassick would reveal the nature of a successful weekend. “As
for opening night, it was fabulous! Probably one of the best I’ve seen.” And
she should know, having been involved in theater for 19 years; nine of those
with Windham Middle School. The total count for the first two days hovered
around 700.
“I just want to thank Windham Middle School
for keeping the drama program alive and giving all of these great kids an
outlet to express themselves and have fun. I have a tremendous amount of support. It makes me thankful everyday that Windham has such a
strong regard for the arts,” said Wassick.
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