Classic Drama ‘The Outsiders’ Rings True To Alma Students

Cool people mean nothing to me — they’re living behind masks, and I’m always wondering ‘Is there a real person underneath?’” The quote comes from S.E. (Susan Eloise) Hinton, who wrote “The Outsiders” in 1967, while she was still in high school in Tulsa, Okla. In the drama, seen through the eyes of Ponyboy, it’s Greasers — the kids who don’t have much — versus Socs — the kids who have everything.

“I think the social challenges that students faced in the 1960s are still similar to those faced by our students today,” says Danny Hobson, who is directing the play for Alma High School. “The Outsiders’ has remained a relevant and popular title for many years.”

Ethan Burrough, 17, plays Ponyboy, described by the playwright as “the sensitive, Greaser who didn’t want to be a hood”; Levi Dobbs,

15, is Sodapop, “the happy-go-lucky dropout”; 16-year-old Talon Dean is Dallas, “who wasn’t tough enough”; and Syd Watkins, 17, is Johnny.

“I feel that I relate to Johnny Cade quite a bit,” Watkins says. “We’re both rather quiet, had bad experiences with other kids, been abused, and I also struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts. Though there are also good qualities I can see in me and Johnny, such as being levelheaded despite what’s going on, being there for friends even if we are scared, and keeping a sympathetic side even after what we’ve been through.”

Doing the show, he says, has taught him he’s “more than just a kid who struggles with depression. I’ve learned to look at the better things about myself.”

“I think for most students they see a part of themselves reflected in the lives of their characters, even though the story took place in the 1960s,” says the director. “I think this is a great story for our students to discover that they might actually not be as different from their parents and grandparents as they thought. I love any chance to help students make connections with the past and to gain a new level of respect and appreciation for those that have gone before them.”

(Courtesy Photo/Jason Barnes) Caden Farris, Levi Dobbs, Ethan Burrough, Sydney Watkins, Trista Vellucci, Talon Dean and Denver Kelly make up the Alma High School cast of “The Outsiders.”