“Mary Poppins Jr.”: Performance practically perfect in every way

Ava Lamkin as Mary Poppins

By Emma Bennett

           

Windham Middle School’s production of “Mary Poppins Jr.” not only showed us the hard medicine of deeper underlying themes, it treated us to a large spoonful of talent. The troupe brought an adaptation of the Disney classic straight to the stage. The audience was blown away, not from the winds in the East, but from the extraordinary talent illuminating the stage on their opening night. The winter storm that canceled school, bringing inches and inches of snow, couldn’t stop the show from going on.

The director, Suzy Cropper, took the time to interview amid all the hustle and bustle happening backstage before the show. Cropper, who’d been a musical director for Windham Middle School for many years, was ecstatic to be able to direct the first production of Mary Poppins Jr. that Windham Middle School had ever seen.

“I have loved it. It’s been fun working with the kids,” Cropper said with a smile. “And it’s been fun to see their creativity come out as we work through scenes and come up with ways that are able to tell our story.”

According to Cropper, several weeks ago, they took time during rehearsal to learn more about the Edwardian Era in 1910 - the period in which the musical is set. They learned about class distinctions, the contrast between rich and poor that is sometimes overlooked and overshadowed by gleam and glamor. It’s plain to see that the character development from it has paid off.

“I’m so proud of this cast and this wonderful show that they’ve put together,” said Lucy Hatch, assistant director. “I love seeing stuff come to life. It’s very different from being onstage.” Hatch’s history with the director stretches way back to third grade when she’d attended Mainstage Academy, a musical theater school run by Cropper. Hatch still has music lessons with her.

The energy backstage was invigorating as cast members shared their thoughts moments before opening. A strong unspoken unity projected into the audience as if from one big family.

Ava Lamkin, graced with the leading role of Mary Poppins, expressed the same sentiment. “My castmates are really sweet. When somebody’s sad, they’re really uplifting. We all just got along really well. It didn’t matter who we were because, once again, Mary Poppins taught us how to be kind.”

Sixth grader Anna Lane, who played a park stroller and a honeybee, shared, “Everyone’s really nice and supportive with each other, trying to help people out with their lines, their makeup, and their hair.” Her first show with Windham Middle School, she’d also done shows with Windham Center Stage, Gorham Arts Alliance, and Schoolhouse. She’d been inspired into acting very young with Mainstage.

Among some of the first timers who’d never been on stage before, Karly Day and Braedyn Bean expressed their experiences. “I’ve had a lot of fun with my friends and I love dancing and singing. It’s just been really cool seeing it all come together,” said Day. All these years, she’d been watching plays, thinking she’d love to be in one and decided to finally try out.

 Braedyn Bean, trying out with some encouragement from his mother, has had a great time. “I might do a lot more plays in the future, but I think it’s good to start and progress.” With the role of a policeman, he had only one line, but he was proud that he had received a speaking part.

Among the many great scenes, we were captivated by the choreography in 

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and impressed with the actors using ASL. Also, be sure to purchase a light-up wand at the concession stand at intermission and join the actors during a special moment of the play! Each purchased wand is used to support Maine Inside Out, a nonprofit organization collaborating to hold theater programs inside Maine’s juvenile correctional facility and youth developmental centers. Truly inspiring!

Another highlight of the night was seeing Mary Poppins fly! Bert, played by Molly Platti, even did front and back flips in mid-air. Flying by Foy is the company responsible for sending characters flying across the stage. Bryce Cropper, the person in charge of ropes, stated, “We double check everything to make sure everything is safe.” This definitely made the show that much more special.

The night ended with much well-earned praise from the audience. “I’m blown away, I really am,” said an audience member on the way out the door. “I would say it was above expectations,” said another. Kim McBride, assistant principal at the middle school, thought “it was fabulous from start to finish.” Proud father Chuck Lomonte shared, “I thought the show was absolutely exhilarating.”

A number of WMS and WHS individuals should be recognized for their time and effort in putting this show together: C.J. Payne (sound and lighting designer), Jason Lanoie (set designer), Tricia Murray (costume designer), April Monte (choreographer), Diane Hancock (music director), Karen Lane (producer), family volunteers working behind the scenes, and many others. Also, understudies worked hard to learn their parts and stood by in case they were needed.

The show, as a whole, was completely enjoyable - “practically perfect in every way!” There really is only one word to describe it: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Production begins on Mary Poppins, Jr. with new Drama Director at Windham Middle School

Suzy Cropper

By Elizabeth Richards

Suzy Cropper is no stranger to the drama scene in Windham. In addition to owning and operating a performance studio, Cropper was the musical director for Windham Middle School’s annual musical for the past eight years. Now, she has stepped into the position of Drama Director for Windham Middle School.

Cropper has been teaching both theater and voice for close to 25 years. Her studio, MainStage
Academy, was based in Windham for several years before she closed it. For three years, she was the chorus teacher at the Manchester School.  “I’ve done a lot of directing kids for a long time. I’m excited to be able to work with these kids in this capacity,” Cropper said.

Working alongside the director for eight years means that the structure and kids are familiar to Cropper, and she has a good understanding of what is involved for the director.  In addition to guiding students towards a great performance, Cropper said, she is helping them develop other important skills that they can carry with them throughout their lives.

“There are a lot of students that really find out more about themselves when they are given an opportunity to perform or stretch themselves a little bit,” Cropper said. She added that it’s exciting to see students discover that they can be good at many things, rather than only focusing on things they have done before, such as athletics.

Cropper enjoys middle school students, she said, because they are teachable, excited about learning new things, and willing to try things they haven’t done before. “They’re just at a time of great exploration, so it’s nice to give them lots of opportunities while they’re still trying to figure out what they love,” she said.

Every student who wants to participate will have a role of some kind, whether a small role in the ensemble, or a major role with a lot of lines to learn. Students who have never done theater before
often participate, as do students who have been performing for much of their lives, she said. “It’s a good variety of different skills, levels and experience.”

Cropper, who has five children of her own, said she enjoys helping students discover talents they didn’t realize they had, and watching them develop new skills. “It’s been a joy to me to be able to see how their theater experience has helped them in their everyday school life, their confidence in the classroom, and learning how to be responsible about their own schedules and everything they have to do to be prepared for the production,” she said.

Some of the skills students gain include responsibility and accountability, learning to pay attention, how to be respectful of their peers, and learning to project their voices so they can be heard.
“It really does make a big difference in all aspects of their life,” Cropper said, because these skills tend to roll over into other areas of their lives, such as class presentations, communication with adults, and other life skills. “There are a lot of things more than just the actual story,” Cropper said.

That doesn’t mean the story suffers, however. “Of course, we love to put on a great production,” Cropper said. “They get very excited about it and are very proud of their work. It’s exciting to work with them and see them be really proud of what they do.”

Putting on a production of this size takes a whole team of volunteers, mostly parents of students in the production. In addition to six to ten hours of rehearsal time each week, the team puts the set together, learns lighting and sound cues, creates costumes, and attends to all the details necessary to
pull the show together. Although the director position comes with a stipend, “Most of the people who participate and help with the program are volunteers, so it’s really a tremendous undertaking and very exciting for our community,” Cropper said.

“Our community has really learned to look forward to these productions,” she added.  “I’m excited to keep it moving.”

This year’s Windham Middle School musical is Mary Poppins, Jr. Auditions took place on October 16th and 17th, and the show is scheduled to open on January 16th.