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| Cast members of Windham High School’s production of 'Mamma Mia' include Harry-Bradley Collins, Sam-Will Searway, and Bill-Bradley Smith (Dads); Donna-Alice Morrison, Tanya-Emma Chasse, and Rosie-Peyton White (Dynamos); Sophie-Maddie Hancock; and Sky-Liam Yates. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
For the first time in a year and a half, the lights will go up on a live performance at Windham High School on Nov. 12, with the opening of Mamma Mia.
It’s been a long wait for students involved in drama at WHS.
“We missed out on the fall musical last year, and we missed out on the one act festival for drama,” said Rob Juergens, WHS Musical and One Act Director.
Last fall, the group planned to perform a non-musical play via simulcast. Two days before opening, a cast member tested positive and COVID-19 protocols shut them down, Juergens said.
“That was pretty disappointing. It makes this all the sweeter, I think,” he said.
This year’s cast is smaller than usual, Juergens said, but the energy has been high.
Students said they are excited to be together on stage again.
Other cast members agree.
“It’s really fun to be back. I really missed everyone,” said Emma Chasse, who is the student director and plays Tanya. “There’s a certain energy on the stage that we haven’t gotten in so long. It’s a lot of excitement.”
Bradley Smith, who plays Bill, said that while sports continued last year, drama could not.
“Having this back this year is really nice,” he said.
Liam Yates, who plays Sky, said being on stage allows performers the opportunity to set aside real life and become someone else for a while.
“For a year and a half, we’ve all been ourselves and only ourselves. Everyone here has been doing theater for a long time,” Yates said. “That temporary escape, I guess, is kind of nice.”
Juergens said this year presents some unique challenges. The biggest, he said, is the lack of a consistent rhythm that results from not doing live shows in over a year.
Another challenge is masking because of COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s going to be very interesting when they have to sing full out and dance full out in their masks,” Juergens said, “I keep telling them they should be doing aerobic exercises all the time so they’re ready.”
Masking is a challenge, but one they are learning to overcome, students said.
Maddie Hancock, who plays Sophie, said they’ve had to get more creative with how they are expressing themselves.
They’ve had to work on the way they say things and body language rather than relying on their faces alone, she said.
“It’s a challenge, but it has that flip side of a positive challenge,” Hancock said.
Peyton White, who plays Rosie, said the show is more visually pleasing and exciting due to the energy of the dances, the colors and textures of the costumes and the set.
“I think the visual aspects have more of a chance to shine because you can’t see us as much,” she said.
Wearing masks also adds to the quality of their singing said Bradley Collins, who plays Harry.
“We have to work a lot more on breath control and breath support. That’s something we haven’t really had to think about as much in the past,” he said.
In addition to being excited to perform again, the cast is looking forward to bringing theater back to the community.
“I think people are starved for live theater,” Chasse said. “I’m really excited to get some more people in this auditorium.”
White said she agrees.
“Everybody’s been missing the arts and we have such a strong community here that is very supportive of us and what we do at the high school,” said White.
With the reopening of Broadway, she said, “Everything’s really exciting in the theater world right now, so anything people can see, they’ll enjoy, because they’ve been missing it.”
Theater is a very big part of the community, Searway said.
“The community is really our biggest supporters and our biggest fans. And we’re here to take your hearts with Mamma Mia,” Searway said. “We’re here to really make you fall in love with the cast and the show.”
Hancock said the cast really has something special here.
“We’ve persevered through this challenge that has been COVID, and now we’re back and I would say better than ever, because we all have that passion built up inside of us, and we’re going to give it our all every single show,” Hancock said.
Smith is looking forward to lots of smiles with this production.
“I have to say that life’s been really hard right now, and I think everyone just needs to laugh and escape from life a little bit,” Smith said.
Students said they are hoping for a full house at all performances.
“[People] coming to the show supports us and shows us that what we’re doing, even in weird times, still matters,” said Alice Morris, who plays Donna.
Mamma Mia will run for two weekends, with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings and a Sunday matinee. Tickets will be sold at the door. <
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