The 13 students of 20 Performing Arts Academy’s Elite program have been hard at work preparing for their upcoming performance of Dear Evan Hansen.
The students, ranging in age from 14 to 18, have been rehearsing every weekend since September 12, learning their lines, lyrics, stage blocking and more. The production will take place at Brantford Collegiate Institute, with a performance on Friday November 20, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, November 21, at 1 and 7 p.m.
The contemporary musical follows Evan, a socially awkward 17-year-old who has felt invisible his entire life. When a school bully dies by suicide and a letter Evan wrote to himself as part of therapy is found on his body, the community assumes the two were best friends.
“With Evan being suddenly thrust into the spotlight, he ends up creating this alternate reality and spins lie after lie until he’s in way too deep,” said Theresa Noon-Hunter, show director and president of 20 Performing Arts Academy.
Given the show’s more mature content and themes, she said it’s been essential to maintain an open dialogue with her cast.
“There’s a lot going on with this piece, and a big part of what I’m approaching with this show are the dangers, but also the good things, that come with technology and how everything can quickly get out of control, ” the director said. “Mental health is another huge component to the show, and because the cast are all teenagers, we’ve had conversations with them about how it’s okay to talk about it. If anybody feels unsafe talking about certain things, they don’t have to share, but we do discuss why these issues are important to bring up.”
Noon-Hunter and her long-time best friend, Kristen Henderson, created 20 Performing Arts Academy to give children a safe place to explore the performing arts and learn fundamentals of theatre production. That commitment has carried into the upcoming show, which marks the first time in the program’s history that a production features a kiss as part of the storyline.
“As director of youth theatre, I would typically go without it, but that kiss is actually imperative to the plot,” she said. “Before they even auditioned and throughout the process, we’ve really stressed the importance of consent and made sure they were comfortable. And even though they know we’re not going to ask them to do anything inappropriate, we felt it was important to have an intimacy coordinator with us to support them so they know they have somebody who is very much on their side.”
She said as a director, it’s been incredible to watch her cast grow into their roles and embrace the story over the past couple months.
“These kids are in Grade 9 through 12, but you would think they’re older because they’re all approaching this extraordinarily maturely. This is one of the most, if not the most, artistically fulfilling projects I’ve worked on. The talent in this cast is unlike any I’ve dealt with in a long time and they’ve been working so hard,” said Noon-Hunter. “We had a lot of people who wanted the role of Evan and I applaud them because it’s an entire show on your shoulders; it’s a two-and-a-half hour show, and Evan is only off stage for brief moments. Everett Spicer, who plays Evan, is going to knock everyone’s socks off. He’s taken on this challenge and has such an emotional depth for being someone in Grade 10; he was born to play this role. With that being said, our understudies have also worked hard and will also get a performance as well.”
Another first for the academy is the addition of a live band and integrating it into the production.
“Our music director, Matthew Skinner, has wanted to do this for so long, and so we finally made it happen,” she said. “It really adds a whole other dimension to this show specifically, so it’s been really exciting. It’s very powerful, and the voices are amazing. The musicians are outrageous.”
Noting that Noon-Hunter has known the music for a long time, but has never seen the film adaptation, she hopes that the audience will be able to take something more away from their production than just entertainment.
“It’s just such a beautiful story. It has a lot of important themes that I feel are especially important for people, including our teenagers, to be talking about,” she said. “I hope our audience realizes that there really is nothing taboo about mental health. That parents, no matter how old their children are, still have to take an active role in their lives, and that sometimes we just have to be parents rather than just friends.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
