Stepping into the audience of the Bolton School “The ‘Little Women’ Play” production was a unique experience. This was a forty-five minute stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel. The combination of the set ,which consisted of a piano and hand-drawn portraits of the cast by Yaqueen Akabi, with the realistic costumes gave the feeling of a truly immersive play and encapsulated all features of a chaotic family environment. This feeling was reinforced with the seating for the audience being placed to surround the stage which allowed the audience to feel involved and immersed in the performance.
The consistent use of accents captured the true authenticity of 19th century America. One of the unique aspects of this certain production was the fact that it included two casts that performed on different nights, this gave the option for more members to be involved and reflected the very essence of Miss Talbot’s teachings, which is described by students to be “kind and inclusive.”
Georgia McGinty, who played Laurie described her experience to be extremely enjoyable. Georgia’s favourite part in the play was her entrance, in which she jumped out of a box. She explained that, although she was playing a character of the opposite gender, she found ease in them both being the same age but also stated that ‘every character is different’. Anika Mani who was also a member in L cast shared Georgia’s struggle with balancing workload and rehearsals but explained that by taking part in the production it gave her a break from revising and something to look forward to.
Upon watching the play one notable feature of Anika’s character, Meg, was that she had to be able to effectively speak with two contrasting accents, making her character that little bit more challenging to portray. This is because in the opening moments, the March sisters are play acting, pretending to be stuffy English gentlemen from a London club. However being one of the older members of the cast meant that she could transfer the actions of looking after the younger members to her character who was also the older sister in the family.
Anika mentioned that one notable moment in the play for her was the ending, in which everyone was on stage at once and made for a ‘satisfying and fulfilling’ end to the play.
Finally another member of the cast I managed to speak to was Molly Bell who performed the character of Jo. Much like the other members, Molly was able to relate to her character who enjoyed reading and writing, and who would rarely comply to social norms. These similarities once again show Miss Talbot’s skill and attention to detail in the casting process. Although all members played different characters with different experiences they all agreed on three things.
When asked about their experience, cast members said that they would recommend and urge all other students to take part in any productions that they have the chance to.
They said that Miss Talbot was a ‘good listener and effective in decreasing the gap between actor and director’ which made for an enjoyable and unforgettable experience leaving them with lasting memories and skills.
When forced to find some constructive criticism of their involvement in the production, the only negative thing any cast had to say is that they would have loved to have been able to perform for longer!
Well done to all the cast!
I would encourage anyone who is considering auditioning for a school production to do so, the memories and skills that you acquire are invaluable and it is a great way to broaden your talents.
By Katie Wild