Here we go again. My my, how can audiences resist?
The Kelly Road Secondary School Drama department is one of the city's most storied high school theatre programs in the district. After a year as the program's teacher, Steve Graboski is unveiling the latest production for the teen thespians in his senior class, the wildly popular ABBA singalong musical Mamma Mia.
"We spend a lot of time as a group deciding which kind of play to do," said Graboski. "Once we do that, we set them loose in the computer lab."
After a set of selections was offered up by the aspiring performers and technicians, it came down to a shortlist and Mamma Mia won out in a class vote.
"It's a proven success, and it's mostly group singing so everyone is really involved," said Graboski.
And he means really involved. He's guiding the production, but has key students in the positions of dramaturgical leadership.
Ellie Prendergast sings with the District 57 Tapestry Singers and dances with Excalibur Theatre Arts, so Graboski approached her about being the director. Her voice and choreography experience is supporting a higher level of quality in those areas than most high school musicals can supply.
Darcy MacDonald, one of the dedicated veterans of the KRSS Drama program, was approached to be the producer/stage manager. She is used to being on stage, but in this case she is applying her focus to the sets and other physical effects of the show.
Both were eager to elevate their experiences to include these tactical jobs.
"Grubs - I call him Grubs - knew I wanted to direct," said Prendergast. "I saw so much potential last time (a previous play she was involved with) that didn't come to fruition, I was mad about it, and we talked that out last time, so he wanted to give me that chance."
She felt more confident taking on the director's role because the class had a large contingent of Grade 12 students who have that extra year of theatre experience and life-growth to help lead the cast and crew (22 and eight in number, respectively) by example.
She and MacDonald both raved about the tech crew for their skills and patience to get the effects and stage conditions correct.
"They have made so many things so easy for me, I love them, they are just as much a part of where the play is at as I am or the actors," said MacDonald. "Nobody is above anybody else, they are all a community, and everyone is equal in a community."
Like Prendergast, MacDonald is in Grade 11 and already well versed in the rarified world of theatre. She is looking forward already to how to maximize her final year next year, where she hopes to have a double block of drama work into which she can sink her fingers, mental and literal.
"Getting this position has, I think, given me a lot of different experiences with people, how to take on different situations with my actions and my words, and handle different things that come up that aren't expected, or don't follow your original plans," MacDonald said, admitting she hopes to one day be a drama teacher herself. For that she applauds Graboski for showing her the way.
"He's an amazing teacher," she said. "He's friendly but not your friend. You need that from your teacher, especially when it's something like drama where you have a lot of people depending on each other to do their part under stressful conditions."
One of the techniques Graboski used to mitigate the drama of drama was to insist each student actor audition for at least three roles and swear an oath that whatever part they received would be accepted with grace.
He rewarded their positive response by double-casting nearly every part so more students could get maximum engagement from the play, and the cast had the built-in assurance that should something happen (one student came down with tonsillitis and another injured a knee), the character could be performed nonetheless.
There is still room for growth and new experiences within the program, said young actor Jewel Paul, who is also a veteran though only in Grade 11.
"I definitely want to do drama again next year,"she said. "It's another chance to win the vote. I wanted to do a dramatic play this year. We've done a lot of musicals and I want to try something different."
She has hopes of going into the makeup artistry profession, but thinks that is helped by understanding performance on a practical level and perhaps even doing some acting in between brush strokes.
Mamma Mia brings to life all the singing, dancing, makeup, sets, effects, and other collaborative elements of performing a play when the show happens on the KRSS stage Saturday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. then again Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Admission to all shows is by donation.
KRSS also invites the public to enjoy their Fine Arts Night on May 29 at 6 p.m.
