There’s even a part in the play for the Big Apple. Somewhere in there is Hallie Moher.
Education is a voyage of discovery. That can surely be said for about 60 South Cramahe students who are participating this year in the school play, titled Make It a Better Place, written and co-directed by teacher librarian Kerri Jervis.
The staff and some parents from the school get together biannually to provide the enriching experience for the students. Twice-a-week after-school rehearsals began in January. Students are rehearsing in earnest now that the May 12, 13, 14 performances are approaching.
Maeghan O’Brien and Andrea Broomfield co-direct with Ms. Jervis. Deb Hoogwerf handles the tech side of it, Anne McMurray leads the costumers, and Jane Moore heads up the props gang for a cast of 42 and a student technical crew which has grown to almost 20.
Listening to Kerri Jervis talk about the play, one realizes this is about more than a bunch of kids getting up on stage; it’s a valuable life experience and an invaluable teaching tool.
The story begins with a young soldier played by either Kurt vandeValk or Jordan Jones who comes home to tell his family he will soon be stationed in Afghanistan.
His little sister sets the play by asking those questions only a sibling might ask.
He responds to her questions about his departure by telling her he wants to help Afghanistan become a great country like Canada. But he can’t explain to her why Canada is so great.
To find out, he walks across Canada in a voyage of discovery about himself and his country. On the way he meets Angus Walters, captain of the famous Bluenose schooner, Anne of Green Gables, a cod fisherman, and various other Canadian notables.
Sitting down for a few moments during a break in rehearsal, the talented Jervis revealed there is much more to the play than meets the eye.
As a teacher in a small community, she understands the need to expand the horizons of her pupils. “They need to look beyond their borders,” she explains.
And if the actual play isn’t enough in itself to broaden their sense of community, some of the proceeds from the play will go to an organization which pays the salaries of teachers in Afghanistan. “It’s about making the world a better place. You can start in your own community, but you don’t have to stop there,” she enthuses.
For some, participating in the play will be an experience they remember for a lifetime. “They won’t remember what they scored on the provincial tests, but they will remember this,” she asserts.
Students from the school will use the dramatic skills from this experience to assist them in their drama work in secondary school at E.N.S.S. in Brighton.
Jervis recognizes this will be the last major drama production to be held at South Cramahe. Cognizant of the impending move to the new school promised for Cramahe, she is confident she can carry the tradition forward.
Tickets are $5 and can be bought at the school office. The number at the school is (905) 355-2723.
The three shows held in 2007 were virtual sellouts so it might be wise to get tickets early.
On a voyage of discovery, Ben Russell, played in this scene by Kurt vandeValk, left, meets cod fisherman Kaley McKenna, Angus Walters, played by Dryden Aldworth, and Anne of Green Gables, portrayed by Zoey Read, right.
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