Olympic Peninsula Academy presents two plays May 30-31 at the Sequim High Auditorium through a large contingency of drama students, teachers and volunteers led by Dee Dee Nielsen and Michele Canepa.
Disney’s “Newsies, Jr.,” a musical drama about striking newsboys at the turn of the 20th century, will be performed by the sixth-12th grade class in three shows: Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The second-fifth grade class will open with a humorous version of “The Princess and the Pea” for the first two “Newsies, Jr.” performances.
Two of those younger students will also appear in “Newsies, Jr.”
“On Saturday night, closing night, we only have the sixth-12th grade performance with the added fun of out-takes,” Nielsen said.
“Our performances are not ticketed. We really want to have the community attend if they are able. In lieu of charging for tickets, we suggest a small donation to help fund our drama program.”
The performances are the culmination of months of hard work. The students have been preparing for the shows since early February.
Nielsen said that when choosing a script, “we try to find a play that teaches something.” In this case, she said, “Newsies, Jr.” references historical events such as women becoming reporters and the newsboys’ strike of 1899 in New York City.
Nielsen and Canepa have been involved with OPA’s drama program since 1998, initially helping a preceding teacher, according to Nielsen. “The Princess and the Pea” and “Newsies, Jr” will be their 26th production.
Nielsen estimated that 30-40% of the school’s students are involved in this year’s drama classes.
“We couldn’t do it without all the volunteers helping us,” she said, noting that alumni regularly return to help current students with productions.
This coordination was evident at a recent rehearsal, with volunteers and family members enthusiastically responding to the children as they rehearsed their lines.
“From a mama’s point of view, this program is invaluable,” said Faith Abken, who has four children in the two performances, one of whom is about to graduate.
“The play is going good so far; it’s fun,” said Zowie Abken, adding that the drama program “is really good from a student’s point of view.”
Those involved with the program said that the value it gives back to students as they learn play production and other theater skills is not solely in dramatic competence but in increased confidence moving through the world and meeting other types of challenges.
Senior Nolan Valenzuela, who has been involved with the productions since second grade, said the drama program “helped my leadership skills here and in soccer as well as my acting skills.” He said he plans to continue with soccer at Peninsula College next year and likely will become a professional soccer official.
Nielsen said Valenzuela is a good representative of a phenomenon she has seen over the years, that of a young child developing under the mentorship of older schoolchildren and becoming a mentor himself.
“I was watching the older kids,” Valenzuela said, “and then stepped into that position.”
“If they’re not listening to us, they’ll listen to them,” Nielsen said.
Nielsen said that because these productions come out of a class, the plays are always chosen with the cast in mind, not vice versa, and everyone has a part and they all rise to the challenge.
“This cast is super supportive of each other, applauding, cheering them on, building their courage and confidence,” she said.
Valenzuela said that he is “extremely grateful to both Dee Dee and Michelle for everything they taught me.”