Niverville Collegiate’s drama department is getting ready to raise the curtain on their next spring play, Our Miss Brooks.
The story revolves around the eponymous Miss Brooks, a high school English teacher who is a bit relieved not to be directing the school play this year, as it means she won’t have to clash with the athletic coach for use of the gym for rehearsal space. After all, romance is kindling between the two of them, and she doesn’t want anything to get in the way of that.
Of course, the axe falls and the play is thrust upon her, throwing her and the coach into a battle royale. And to complicate matters, the daughter of the school board president, an actress of real talent, is determined to play opposite the coach’s star athlete.
Like any good play, romance flourishes and chaos ensues.
“The way we sort of describe the play is that it’s our guidance counsellor Mrs. Wiebe’s life mixed with High School Musical,” says Shelah Klassen, the Grade 12 student cast as Miss Brooks. “She used to be an ELA teacher and she was on the play every year all by herself, which is impressive. So the play itself is basically about an ELA teacher who’s kind of going crazy putting on the play and getting super stressed out while meanwhile having some awkward romance with the gym coach.”
Deanna Wiebe, NCI’s guidance counsellor, agrees that some of these clashes seem to mirror real life. “The part about having to negotiate for gym space for rehearsals and the drama, that’s a huge piece of the play, and that’s what we battle here too,” Wiebe says. “For a play that was written in the 1940s, Our Miss Brooks is still fresh and relevant today.”
A ballet dancer in real life, Klassen has been performing in front of audiences since the age of three, so she’s no stranger to the spotlight.
“Miss Brooks is probably one of my favourite characters I’ve ever got to play, just because she’s a little bit crazy and super sarcastic all the time,” says Klassen. “I really enjoy my character. I think it’s fun to be someone else for the couple of months that we get to. I enjoy being super dramatic!”
Performing romance at the high school level always has the potential for awkwardness. Even more so in this case, potentially, since Klassen’s love interest in the play will be performed by her own cousin.
“It actually makes it less awkward, though, because I know him,” Klassen insists.
“The Grade 12 performers just go there [in terms of romance],” adds Wiebe. “They’re fearless about it. They don’t mind. But we don’t require any onstage kissing. That would be pushing things too far.”
Wiebe says that watching students cut loose on stage is one of the most fulfilling
parts of her job.
“One of the things that I most enjoy is watching the kids come out of themselves and be people that they aren’t,” she says. “I do a fair bit of typecasting. That helps the process. But we’ve got some kids who are completely sweethearts and nice and lovely and one of them has to be the mean girl—and it’s been the biggest struggle. It’s just not in her. But she’s finding it. She’s finding her inner meanness.”
The dessert theatre performance of Our Miss Brooks will take place at 7:00 p.m. on May 30, May 31, and June 1. Adult tickets will be $10 apiece, and those 18 and under can under for free.
