Young Island Thespians Share...

Opening night is always exciting. But this summer, opening night holds special meaning for island youth. Maijah Sanson-Frey summarized it like this, “There are shows where the audience is saying, “Oh, what a cute play!” With a show like Carrie, it’s more of an art piece and more of a moving piece. People will say, “Wow...you did a really great job of sharing those messages.”

Years ago, Stephen King published his first book. That was Carrie. Years later, Stephen King’s insightful exploration of the human condition was converted into a Hollywood Horror Flick. As is always the case, much of the original messaging was lost...but then, along came Carrie The Musical. And with it, we were gifted with an intrinsically thought-provoking, empathy-generating opportunity to explore the painfully real issues of bullying, domestic abuse and mental illness. At its heart, Carrie The Musical asks, “What does it cost to be kind?”

While the adult community has barely registered that Carrie The Musical is on the horizon, island teens have already begun the exploratory learning process. As we sat in a puddle of sunlight streaming through evergreen boughs, Marisol Marinez explained, “I’ve had friends being bullied, and they’ve gotten suicidal...and the show [Carrie] represents not everyone is bad. Not everyone is evil. I’ve been in that spot too, several times in my lifetime. I’ve lost hope. There were always people out there who might have seemed mean...but they ended up being your friend.”

“It’s a huge self-empowerment play,” added Brandon Branch. “The world’s better than this,” he went on, “and I think that’s how society should be. That we give up to help other people. This play backs up that idea...that if you do help others, your own life will be better.”

These comments reflect how island youth are responding to Sue, the character who - upon coming face to face with her own conscience - does all she can to befriend Carrie White. “The nice girl [Sue] showed that she was sorry,” Brandon went on, “She took actions rather than just saying she was sorry.”

It’s not just Sue who evokes empathy and understanding in our young thespians. Miss Gardner, the gym teacher who tries to help Carrie, is a role that inspires Marisol Marinez. “She just shows Carrie that the world is not bad; you can find love. She’s the voice of hope! That’s exactly what she is!”

While parents can shield their young children to a degree; by high school, the floodgates are open. To process life’s lessons, we need to acknowledge them. Maijah Sanson-Frey said it this way; “As a teen who’s had my own issues, one of the worst things is to be invalidated by someone who is older.”

When asked what her hopes are for opening night, Maijah replied, “I’m envisioning the people in the audience who will be crying, and who will say to me, “I didn’t realize...” To this, I asked, “How do you feel about the adults who say they won’t come to see it?” Maijah paused for a moment, “I guess it depends on their reasoning. I wouldn’t want anyone to go if they are uncomfortable but, um...it does strike me as a little bit odd. If we are teenagers and we can deal with it. Not to mention, we’re acting it...”

“As a book and a movie it’s a horror,” Brandon Branch answered, in response to the same question, “but as a musical it’s an inspiration!” Nodding her head, Marisol Marinez added, “Yes! My parents are always trying to help me not make the same mistakes they did...and this is what Carrie’s Mom is trying to do. The play is not about “Christians are crazy,” it’s about the power of love...love can be good and love can be crazy. It is about love.”

Touching upon the thick streak of empathy written into Carrie The Musical, Maijah Sanson-Frey said, “I recently became a DOVE Advocate and one of the things I think about most is what happened to the perpetrator to make them act this way? No one is born a terrible person. Everyone has good and bad qualities.”

Carrie The Musical is already altering how island teens support one another. “It’s made us way more aware, my group of friends,” Maijah said, “We’re nice to others but it’s given us greater awareness that others can be suffering at home...and we won’t know it. We’re more likely to go and ask how they are doing. It’s made us more conscientious, and we haven’t even done the play yet! It will be intense but in a good way.”

This focus on the power of feelings comes up again and again. “Listen to the lyrics!” Marisol Marinez urged, “In the movie, it’s all lines, but musicals have songs which are more emotional. In a song, you can hear how they feel.”
With an eye to the future, Maijah expressed how she hopes Carrie The Musical will benefit those who are too young to participate. “My younger sister will see all of these older kids she looks up to dealing with these issues, and she’ll learn vicariously. Later in life, as a teenager, she can remember when she watched Carrie and that apologizing with actions matters. She’ll have a subconcious memory.”

As these young people and their friends prepare to devote six weeks of their summer to this production, the following message comes through loud and clear. Island youth are eagerly anticipating Carrie The Musical. Their growing maturity is reflected in their eagerness to both explore powerful issues and perform an intense acting piece. As Maijah Sanson-Frey put it, “We feel more serious as performers and that contributes to our sense of validation. I can do this will become...I’ve done this!”