Preview of Latest AHS Theater Production Spells Success
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be performed from March 16th to March 26th.
Upon entering the Frederick L. Chacon Little Theater to see a rehearsal for the Alameda High School Spring Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, I was blown away by the exuberance of the actors rehearsing on stage. Even though it was hours after school and hours of homework ahead, the teenagers kicked, sang, danced and showed (for loan). A chorus line) what they did for love. If everyone who has ever had a bad day had a chance to see what I saw, they would smile, shake their heads and say to themselves, okay, I think we’re all going to be fine.
When asked, many explanations were given of the joy they created and shared. For the seniors, this will be their last show, having previously weathered three years of academic and theatrical upheaval. Others said they were aware of the great tradition of musical theater at AHS and wanted to be part of reviving that reputation. Another perspective was how this particular show, which told the story of a small town’s spelling bee, allowed them to celebrate their middle school nerdy selves (as opposed to their current status as theater nerds). And everyone was eager to perform, sing and dance maskless in front of a live audience. One person, whose name has not been released for the sake of anonymity, said there is a downside to all the movement that goes into preparing a musical. She admitted she “smelled awful,” but none of her castmates complained. Anneka Fagundes, AHS drama director and director of this show, helped explain the excitement by sharing that she had invited to collaborate and involved her theater technique class so the youth could help create the play. It certainly seems to have worked.
I asked the actors to talk about the meta component of being a generation known for fear and playing spellers who are known for being nervous wrecks in competitions. Kaisia Kim said she understood the characters and their fidgety nature and concerns. “Kids are always insecure,” she says. That was a mighty honest and brave thing to remember.
Many people, including myself, are concerned about what COVID, TikTok, and climate change are doing to young people. And while upcoming performances by a cast and crew of over two dozen teenagers aren’t the cure, based on what I’ve seen and spoken to, the show will be stellar because these young people have beautiful and resilient hearts who beat them inside her. May we learn from them, may their hope spread, and find your way to the AHS campus on March 16, 17, 18, 24, and 25 at 7 p.m. and March 26 at 2 p.m. so that You can see these people standing up and spelling and singing and being ambassadors of love.
Gene Kahane is the founder of Foodbank Players, a lifelong teacher and former Poet Laureate for the City of Alameda. Reach him below [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Gene-Kahane.