St. Martin de Porres High School hosts latest theatrical production

On February 8th, students and theater enthusiasts from St. Martin de Porres High School came together to present The Enchanted Bookshop – a story about a magical bookshop where the characters in the stories come alive each night.

The theatrical production tells the story of Margie, a absent-minded business owner whose second-hand bookshop – A Likely Story – is in trouble because customers are no longer buying books.

According to Jessica Hamilton, the drama teacher at St. Martin de Porres High School, Margie is visited at night by some classic fiction characters trying to save her business.

“[They] protect her from these book thieves who are coming to steal a necklace implanted in one of the books,” she said in a pre-production interview on Wednesday night.

Classic literary figures appearing in the St. Martin de Porres production include Dorothy Gale, Robin Hood, Pollyanna, Sherlock Holmes, Heidi and Tom Sawyer. Other appearances include popular literary characters such as the Queen of Hearts, Long John Silver and Doctor Dolittle.

The twist in the story is that the characters are not allowed to leave the bookstore or be seen with human eyes. So when two smugglers walk into the store looking for the stolen necklace, they are torn as to what to do. Should they warn Margie and risk disappearing forever, or can they find a way to defeat the crooks without being seen?

The 23-strong cast, Hamilton said, was made up of 10th through 12th graders who go the extra mile to make the theatrical production a success.

“These are students who do this outside of the regular schedule,” she explained. “This isn’t an acting class; This is a theater club that is entirely extracurricular.”

The drama teacher stated the club offers all students in the school, regardless of their acting ability or participation in the drama program, the opportunity to show their talents on stage, have fun and perform with their peers in front of a concert audience.

“It gives the kids a chance to experience the theater without the stress and pressure of being the main character,” she said.

Hamilton, who co-directed the show with fellow teachers Sara Neumiller and Alex Ball, added that due to the school’s size, students don’t always have the opportunity to take part in theatrical productions.

“A lot of students get a little shy or nervous because they see these ‘big brave’ drama kids wanting to be there,” she shared. “This really provides an opportunity to meet and work with different people at school and share their gifts and talents.”

She added that St Martin de Porres students are often involved in several extracurricular activities while attending school, such as: B. Band and athletics teams, and that the theater club offers something different.

“We’re working on all of these busy student schedules to make sure they can be a part of it,” she said.

According to Hamilton, the cast and crew met two to three times a week to rehearse for the production, which began in late November, and worked through the eve of Showtime on February 8.

“[The cast and crew] are an amazingly talented group of kids – they get to show our community that no matter where you perform or what you do, the end result is always amazing and incredible,” she said.

According to Hamilton, there is also a backstage crew of students who worked behind the scenes, attending every rehearsal, painting the set, creating book covers, and helping with sound and lighting.

“It was just a whole different group of kids that came and wanted to be a part of it, which is also pretty amazing,” she added.

“It’s just a dedicated group of kids who are so passionate about it and want to be a part of it.”

The demand for tickets was high and a contingent of 125 tickets sold out quickly.

“We don’t go public with our tickets because it’s such a small space and we’re only doing one show,” Hamilton said. “We really want to make sure we take care of our school community first.”