Case students set to perform musical they wrote themselves

First show of ‘The Other Side of Me’ will be on Friday

BY BRIDGET THORESON
Journal Times

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 1:03 PM CDT

MOUNT PLEASANT — Three teenagers cower on chairs, their faces covered with bright orange and yellow masks, while their peers hurl insults and accusations at them.

“Every picture starts, the same as a game. You have to know the rules, and people you play,” raps Julie, the self-proclaimed gossip queen of the school. “Who is the king, and the queen of the house, who will be the cat, and who is the mouse.”

The scene is a rehearsal of one of the first numbers in “The Other Side of Me,” a musical written and performed by students at Case High School, 7345 Washington Ave. The first show will be Friday.

“It’s about everyone taking responsibility for who they are in life,” said Nancy Gibson, theater teacher and director.

Scott Anderson Journal Times Case High School students rehearse “The Other Side of Me,” a play written and performed by student members of the Conflict Resolution crew on Tuesday at Case High School.

The story follows a group of students as they attempt to put on a play and face challenges with stereotypes and prejudice. The central theme of the play is identity issues, with the characters addressing aspects of themselves that they dislike or hide.

“Each of us has that,” said Matt Gehrz, a senior, who plays Mr. Alan, the theater group’s teacher. “You can’t have a free life or a content life if you haven’t come to terms with that part of you.”

Megan Tomamichel, a junior, plays Naomi, the play’s controlling student director. Tomamichel said the students have put pieces of their own lives into the play.

“We’re addressing a lot of issues that we see in the hallways every day,” she said. “It’s a way to express ourselves without just carrying that around with us.”

A core group of students involved in the play are members of the Conflict Resolution Crew, whose mission is to decrease conflict by increasing community. The students have worked on the play for this entire school year.

Several theater professionals also volunteered to help, such as composer Myron Silberstein.

“I think the kids are really feeling that they have made a very significant statement about issues that are important to them,” Silberstein said. “It’s very nice for them to see their ideas have the capacity to really turn into something.”

Tomamichel said she hopes the play opens people’s eyes to problems and helps them create their own solutions.

“We have to show this and honor these problems,” Tomamichel said. “Any sort of embarrassment or any hesitance we have is put aside so we can do what we feel we have to do.”

As a character sings at the play’s conclusion, “Didn’t choose what I am, but choose who I will be, I need to match my actions with the man I want to see.”

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