PGSS offers a Laugh Attack
PGSS is suffering a Laugh Attack.
The school’s junior drama class is cobbling a set of comedic skits into a full-length night of hilarity and personal growth this week. On Thursday night, the Grade 9/10 split brings the funny to Vanier Hall.
Laugh Attack allows the young actors to be involved in a number of scenes without any small group of them having to take on a lead role. Teacher/director Shannon Schinkel can play the students to their strengths, or, counterintuitively, put them in positions outside their comfort zone where they can stretch their personal character by depicting a fictional one.
“It’s a wonderful moment for a teacher to see a kid turn a corner like that,” Schinkel said. “Even if they never end up acting again, if they allow themselves to grow and accomplish something they never expected of themselves, that’s exciting to be part of.”
The audience will meet a mad scientist, some hillbillies pondering on the porch, a mom who’s watching for the first time as her child plays basketball, a whole array of caricatures in bite-size sketches.
“I’m really nervous for the show. I’ve only ever talked in front of my elementary school. This is so much bigger,” said Taylor Moxham. “I just wanted to do this class for fun, but my stepdad tells me I’m really good at expressing myself and maybe acting is the right thing for me to do – to use that part of my personality.”
Moxham watched a play a couple of years ago and something about the actors inhabiting other characters sparked her interest. Now there are younger people coming to watch her and her classmates in Laugh Attack so that might be getting passed on.
“I also saw a play once and a family friend was in the cast so I responded to that,” said December Mills, another of the Laugh Attack young actors. “When I got a chance to take drama I thought it would be a way to be different, to become a different person just for awhile. I like this style of several little skits all strung together because everyone gets to go out there and be a star. Even if you only have small moments on stage you feel how special it is.”
Mills added that whenever she’s gotten a chance to perform, like in elementary Remembrance Day plays, “I always feel so nervous when it begins and so sad when it’s over.”
Mills and Moxham both came to PGSS from Ron Brent elementary school while Ares Ghostkeeper came from Pinewood elementary and a strong family connection to the stage in the form of older brother Tristan Ghostkeeper, an acclaimed B.C. ballerino who got his start in Prince George (he played The Nutcracker Prince in the 2013 production by Enchainement Dance Centre).
“I was in dance too, I’ve been in front of an audience on the Vanier Hall stage but it didn’t click with me. It didn’t let me express myself the way I wanted but drama lets you try out different characters and make things up,” said Ghostkeeper, who is more interested in filmmaking on this point but understands the transferrable skills offered by Schinkel’s class. “I’m scared a bit that I’ll mess up my lines or something but from being in hiphop I know that performing for a live audience is exhilarating.”
An added level of joy comes from the charitable cause the students have chosen for their play. Admission to Laugh Attack is by donation and the money raised goes to the cause of juvenile arthritis. One of Ghostkeeper’s siblings, Shayla, suffers from this.
“It’s the most amazing feeling to do something you love, something you’ve worked so hard at and knowing that’s going to help someone,” said Ghostkeeper. “I think my sister is so brave to be in so much pain all the time but still laugh and find ways to be happy.”
“Here we are just doing our play because it’s school but we also get to help people and make people aware of something important,” added Moxham. “Having a charity connection is awesome.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it is to live with that kind of pain,” said Mills. “When you are lucky enough to be free to move, it’s really important to remember that you can help others who can’t.”
Laugh Attack happens Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m. at Vanier Hall.