The above cast of seven Mitchell High students on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. will reflect on current events and how they shape our lives. (For the Journal)
How do the times in which we live shape us? How does it change the narrative for the stories we are living and the ones we tell ourselves?
Thanks to the Learning Links Grant and the Community Foundation of North Carolina, Theatre III/IV Honors students at Mitchell High asked themselves these very questions. Advanced theatre students will soon take the stage in a production they wrote themselves based on their own experiences with COVID-19.
The theatre project, Isolate, Connect, Repeat: Death and the Life of a Teen, allowed students to evaluate how theatre is a direct representation of the times in which we live. Students had the opportunity to reflect and analyze their lives over the last two years of the pandemic and then write a piece that speaks to them and their experiences. The end result of their work is both moving and meaningful.
“From this experience, I watched as my students gained a deeper understanding of themselves and the ability to put their experiences into writing,” said Director Chelsa Wilson Thayer. “They sharpened their skills in listening to each other and speaking about the world around them. By examining how particular events in history have shaped the generations that experienced them, they have gained the ability to pause, reflect and think more deeply about current events.”
Isolate, Connect, Repeat: Death and the Life of a Teen will be performed only on Friday, Feb. 25 at Kathy Miller Auditorium in Mitchell High School. Seating is general admission and tickets are sold at the door. Adults are $10 and students are $5. The production is rated PG 10+.