Following the success of the musical 9 to 5, West has been riding the high tide of female-focused productions. English and drama teacher Scotti Thurwatcher thought it was a natural utilization of resources to double cast this year’s spring play, Little Women, which just finished its opening weekend at the Alberta Kimball Auditorium.

“This year, we have so many talented girls that I knew I had to do something to showcase them,” he said. “I decided to do Little Women so we had as many opportunities as possible to give everyone that deserves one a role, so we allotted each person one to two roles.”

The play, drawn from the 19th-century bildungsroman novel by Louisa May Alcott, follows the progression of the March girls, under the guidance of the matriarch Marmee, played by freshman Violet Krautkramer.

“Marmee and her family go through a lot of suffering when it comes to family problems and losing loved ones,” she said. “Playing the role of Marmee has reminded me that some people, like myself, are very lucky to not go through as much suffering and sorrow as some people do.”

Thurwatcher always saw family as the central pillar of the production.

“When you follow the lives of several different people, there are a lot of themes, but the overriding theme is always the family,” he said. “It focuses on how much they love one another, how close they are and kind of the trials and tribulations that families go through and how they handle it.”

For sophomore Ruby Pluchinsky, who plays the March family maid, Hannah, the most prominent conflict is the family’s situation during a time of intense conflict.

“It's such a heart-warming story about how strong love is or how difficult it is to grow up,” she said. “These four girls are living in a time when they didn't have many rights and the Civil War was going on, so growing up was very difficult.”

To portray such a powerful story, Thurwatcher needed to curate a team of actors who had the capacity to carry out his vision.

“First of all, are they capable of carrying the role?” he said. “Then, you start to think about chemistry on stage and other people on stage and the aesthetic part of it. Can they work together? There are so many different things, especially in a cast like that when you’re juggling four sisters each, like how are they going to work together and interact.”

To tackle such a complex play, Thurwatcher approached auditions in a new manner.

“Obviously, the audition matters and this production is unique,” he said. “It’s one of the few times that we had them actually audition for specific roles; we wanted to know what they were looking at beforehand. Interestingly enough, some of the roles were actually cast to some people that didn't pick those roles.”

Pluchinsky was one of said students who ended up in an unexpected role. Originally auditioning for Beth, she ended up playing the role of Hannah the maid.

“Hannah helps the four sisters out with daily life and always takes the lead when things get rough for the girls,” she said.

The role and experience has been a great learning opportunity for Pluchinsky.

“Throughout all the rehearsals and creating my version of Hannah, I got to learn how essential it is to have these background characters or supporting roles,” she said. “Without her character in the show, the four sisters probably wouldn't have been the way they are now. Her role is small, but she made a lasting impact on their lives.”

Krautkramer felt a series of mixed emotions and new challenges while preparing for opening night.

“Honestly, it’s really fun and exciting but also stressful,” she said. “I've had to juggle school, homework, tests, projects, voice lessons, driver's ed, studying for the ACT Aspire, and karate training. But even through all of that, I tried to not let my stress get in the way of my role in the show.”

Krautkramer and the rest of the crew felt the pressure turn up in the countdown to the rising curtain.

“The final week before our opening night does get more stressful because we all want to make the show as enjoyable but as realistic as possible,” she said. “Our goal as actors is to make the story come to life for us and the audience! But it is all worth it when it comes to opening night and the weeks following.”

The cast has also faced other struggles while putting the play together. For sophomore Marcus Miller, who played Mr. Laurence and Professor Bhaer, the struggles came with picking everything together.

“It’s complex, there is so much lighting and blocking queues that's a nightmare,” he said.

Freshman Lucian Dedow found the costumes to be a hassle.

“Costumes have been quite a difficult thing,” he said. “Trying to match the 1860s is especially difficult if you're trying to be realistic.”

Despite any struggles, Krautkramer felt reassured by the positive environment and bond created by the theater group.

“We always try to help and support each other, especially in stressful times,” she said. “The bond that connects us from this show is absolutely incredible.”

Sophomore Jenna Mollenhauer found success in her role as Aunt March.

“Getting into character for me has been something I haven’t struggled with too much,” she said. “In a really horrible way I see a lot of myself in my character, but I think it’s really fun to play a character and the teamwork has worked really well because a lot of us are friends and the acting is really well.”

Similarly, freshman Anika Flores has seen success in her role as Aunt March as well as the collective group.

“I think my characterization is going really well and everyone really cares about the show, at least that I’ve seen, and that makes it really real,” she said. “We’ve had some struggles, but overall, people genuinely care and we're just a big old family.”

With the success they have also experienced a change in leadership as senior Preston Munsch is the student director.

“It’s different because Preston gets the whole student perspective a lot more as he’s been in the shows. He’s really nice to work with because he has the strictness of the director and he tells us what he thinks but he also does it in a way that's very connectable to us as students,” Mollenhauer said. “I think having a student direction is really unique and a really cool part we get to have in this show.”

Other actors appreciate the ability to have several people to speak to.

“It’s nice because there’s more people to talk to. If you have questions, it’s easier to get in contact with someone,” Dedow said. “But also on the other hand there are certain things that others like and dislike so there are ideas that clash.”

The students also collectively share favorite moments.

“There's a lot of funny moments in the show as well as serious moments. I think it’s really cool how it has everything. There's a love story, a total girl boss, the show really had something for everyone, it's really fun,” Mollenhauer said.

Miller also appreciated the hardships of the play.
“Probably the emotional aspect of the characters goes on an emotional rollercoaster. You kinda see how they grow and develop their emotions because it’s very real to life and something that can happen to anyone,” he said.

Krautkramer strongly recommends the play and the experience to others.

“You get to make friends, try new things, and get to know the director,” she said.

Thurwatcher was excited to finally open the curtain on the Drama Club’s weeks of preparation.

“It’s so well known, such a good story, and we did some really really cool things,” he said. “With lighting and the stage, it’s not your typical big huge set play; we’re doing a lot of creative things with set pieces and lighting. I think the community needs to be aware of how talented some of our students are and be proud.”

Looking back on the whole of the production, Pluchinsky is grateful and proud of the crew.

“With all these relationships, everyone is able to live life to the fullest and enjoy every minute of it,” she said. “It makes me happy when I see how much fun everyone has on stage.”

For Miller, the story proved ultimately relatable.

“It’s a story about family and I feel like that will resonate with a lot of people,” Miller said. “We all have the family members we dislike, and we all have the troubles and events that have happened in our life that have shaped who we are.”

by Emma Toney

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 7

April 25th, 2022

‘Little Women’ hits big stage as drama springs to life