“There’s a fear about growing up and when you need to decide who you are and get your crap together, that can be pretty frightening,” said Zachary Protz in Grade 12 at Hugh Boyd secondary.
The drama students highlighted making choices and forming identities as top issues to explore with the Vancouver-based Green Thumb Theatre company.
Every year, Green Thumb works with three high schools across the Lower Mainland for The Edge Project, an original collectively created, multimedia piece that gives voice to the contemporary teen experience.
Hugh Boyd, along with Windermere secondary in Vancouver, and Windsor secondary in North Vancouver, was chosen to create and perform at Roundhouse Theatre (in the community centre) in Downtown Vancouver from Dec. 12-14.
“I was really excited to get into it, I’ve always wanted to act and be on stage,” said Hannah Dickinson in Grade 11. “It’s been really fun so far. I like how we got to create and make the script, the entire group got together and made something.”
Drama teacher Peter Wilson saw Shawn Macdonald, veteran actor and Green Thumb’s artistic associate, work with kids when Wilson was a substitute teacher at JN Burnett secondary.
Recently hired on at Hugh Boyd, Wilson knew he wanted to get Macdonald at the school and applied for The Edge Project.
“Wow, he was amazing, seeing what he did to help the students,” said Wilson, who grew up along No. 5 Road. “I like to bring new experiences to the school. We don’t have a theatre, so I’m trying new things and getting them out there.”
The three schools, 70 students in total, met in June to brainstorm themes. Since then, they’ve been meeting once a month, while rehearsing separately more regularly.
Each school has about 30 minutes on stage to create one scene or a series of scenes that tackle issues surrounding social media and choice. One piece by Hugh Boyd is an angel/devil scene in a darkly lit café, while another is a dance performance.
“One scene shows two future paths to emphasize choice,” said Erin Mott in Grade 11. “There’s also a lot around social media because it’s part of our lives now and it’s something we need to deal with.”
The entire group of 70 will also come together on stage.
“Not many productions can afford 70 actors, so this is a rare occurrence and it’s pretty powerful,” said Wilson. “It’ll be a unique experience for the audience, as well.”
Lighting, projections and music become side characters used to emphasize the prevalence of social media and other issues in a teen’s life.
The students wrote and perform the pieces, while Macdonald directs them, working with them twice a week. Professional designers did stage production.
“People often roll their eyes at teen projects, but this is a self-selecting group of kids, bringing a lot of passion and focus to the project,” said Wilson, who acted for 13 years. “It’s a hugely talented group of kids and we’re giving them that opportunity to shine.”
The performances take place at 8 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for seniors and $15 for adults, and can be purchased at the schools or from Green Thumb at 604-254-4055.
