Snoqualmie middle school students to perform French play
March 26, 2009
By Administrator
Cyrano de Bergerac loves Roxanne, but he hides his feelings for fear his long, protruding nose will prevent her from loving him in return. Instead, he helps his simple but handsome friend Maurice try to win over the lovely Roxanne in the midst of dealing with pirate fights and stubborn servants.
Snoqualmie Middle School students are up to the task for playing out Cyrano’s lovelorn troubles, long nose and all, in “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Many know of the famous French play from Steve Martin’s 1987 film “Roxanne.” During a dress rehearsal, students eagerly described the play’s characters and plot.
“Maurice is a klutz,” sixth-grader Nitya Chivukula said. “He doesn’t have a good vocabulary and stuff.”
Students in the love triangle of the play, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” include, from left, Ray Gallagher, Marina Zeitler and Kerry Pemberton. Notice Gallagher’s long nose.
Sixth-grader Kerry Pemberton, who plays Maurice, embraced her part.
“I wanted to do this because I like making a fool out of myself,” Pemberton said.
Good thing, too, since Maurice is always getting into trouble. Cyrano may help Maurice woo Roxanne, but the moment Cyrano leaves, Maurice become tongue-tied and unintentionally rude.
A twist at the end of the play keeps audience members engaged throughout the play. Skillful sword fighting will keep people on the edge of their seats, thanks to the choreography of Snoqualmie resident and actor Dwight Smith.
Many may know Smith’s voice from CarToys’ radio commercials.
Both of Smith’s children, Micah and Mileah Smith, auditioned for the play. The siblings, previously home-schooled, have each performed in church plays. When he learned the play had several fencing scenes, he volunteered his expertise and taught the children how to parry on stage.
“The kids took to it very well and very quickly,” Smith said. “They added their own bits. That’s the beauty of theater, it’s the collaboration of many minds, not just one mind.”
Before taking their roles, Snoqualmie Middle School teacher Rene Peterson asked students to participate in several after-school activities. After observing their personalities and acting abilities, Peterson assigned students a role complementing their strengths.
Some students share parts and will trade off roles from one performance to the next.
“I was pretty happy just to have the chance of getting a major part in this,” said seventh-grader Cameron Wolf, who plays Cyrano in some of the performances. “It’s insanely cool.”
Memorizing lines on top of doing homework and clubs can prove challenging, but students said they had tricks for the acting trade.
“I take a line and say the first word a million times, then I take the second word and say it a million times,” Kaitie Gallagher said.
When she finally reached the end of the sentence, Gallagher had it down pat.
Seventh-grade student Emma Bateman had her little sister read her cue cards, while she rehearsed her part.
Ray Gallagher, the other Cyrano, said he “over exaggerates everything because then I remember it better.”
Students normally practice at Snoqualmie Middle School, even though it is the only school in the district without a performing arts stage. The school used to have space that could be used for drama, but the school changed the room into an auxiliary gym. Now, the drama club digs into its budget to pay the hourly custodial fee for Mount Si’s stage during rehearsal and shows.
Still, students are eager to show off their play and Cyrano de Bergerac’s nose, leaving the audience to contemplate how much looks matter in a relationship and why pirates are so prone to kidnapping and sword fights.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
