PGSS drama students stepping into spotlight
Being in a play is not just wishful thinking for the students in the PGSS Drama 10 class. Their very own production is coming up at Vanier Hall on Thursday, directed by longtime theatre teacher Shannon Schinkel.
The play is Wishful Thinking, which borrows from the classic cautionary tale The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs where wishes are granted by magic, but come at an enormous price.
“It’s about being careful for what you wish for, and it’s about how it’s better to work for what you get instead of taking shortcuts in life,” said Schinkel, who has been waiting to do this script. She needed the right class and after years of watching each new semester’s cadre of students, she finally got her group.
“This is the second time I’ve done this show, and I can only say that about three scripts,” she said. “The last time was about 10 years ago when I was teaching at John McInnis (a junior secondary school that doesn’t exist anymore in that form). You think a play is ingrained on your theatre soul, but then you get a special group and they change the way it’s written in your brain, you suddenly see them in the play you thought was only achievable once. I have that special group this semester. Every new class is a different configuration of kids, no two are ever the same, and this group was a fantastic fit for this script. Every single one of these kids signed up for this class (sometimes kids are channeled into the drama elective due to scheduling conflicts) and they all want to make the most of the program. That kind of motivation is so exciting to work with.”
Most of the actors in this play are on stage for the entirety of Wishful Thinking. It is a demanding script, which can only be handled by a full class effort. Schinkel ran the group through a series of introductory theatre drills to start the semester to help her determine whom would be best suited to the large number of available parts.
“At first I thought it was a little weird that Ms. Schinkel cast me as a basketball player, considering I’m the shortest one in the class, but I grew to love the part and I see now that it’s about more than being a basketball player,” said Ethan Frizzell, a former student at Highglen then Polaris Montessori elementary school. “Drama doesn’t even feel like a school subject. It’s a group of kids having fun, and getting an education without even realizing it’s happening.”
“I wanted drama because it’s a judgment-free zone,” said Brooke Larsen, who came up through the elementary ranks at Vanway, Blackburn and Pineview. “You get to experience new ways to express yourself in here. At the beginning I was really nervous, I didn’t know the other kids, but you become comfortable, you try new things and find out it’s OK, your skills develop, and then you get to the point you get a part in a play. You get pushed out of your comfort zone and it helps if you just go with it, full-out.”
“There’s actually less drama in drama,” said former Blackburn elementary school student Grace Beek. “I’ve always wanted to do drama. I was already doing theatrical things, playing role-playing games with my friends and that kind of thing. I grew up with it, it’s a lot of fun, and now I get to apply myself to it. The character I got is a sarcastic troublemaker and I really like her. I understand that, but that’s not at all the kind of person I am normally, so it’s interesting to get to be someone so different.”
Devon Chouinard, another Highglen/Polaris alum, got into drama in Grade 8 so he is a veteran now. He said “I started off really afraid but as I went along I got used to it. I was already really dramatic around my family so it was kind of in my blood. I just didn’t know that there were things like blocking and how loud you have to project your voice, but when you start learning those things you want more and more. I was cast as a teacher in this play and I just want to be the coolest teacher ever.”
“My favourite part is finding that diamond in the rough,” said Schinkel. “I don’t mean that one special student, I mean finding that spark inside a lot of students. They have these skills inside of them, and it’s just amazing when you see that glint of it and maybe polish it so it really shines.”
A couple of students from her original Wishful Thinking cast have told her they want to come and see the 2018 version.
The play happens twice on Thursday, at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., both shows open to the public. Admission is by donation of money, pet food, blankets or other animal materials. The students chose to make this production a fundraiser for the Prince George branch of the SPCA.