D.W. Poppy Secondary students are taking on some tough roles this week with the school’s production of Heathers: The Musical.
Within the first act, a student is killed, songs about suicide are performed, and bullying takes place.
“It’s a darker Mean Girls,” explained James Howard, D.W. Poppy theatre department and director.
“It’s a middle-of-the-road girl [Veronica] who wants to be cool and accepted and she gets it very early on with the cool clique, the Heathers, and that’s so very much like Mean Girls but then that’s where it veers off. Instead of falling in love with the jock and playing some funny tricks on the cool kids, she falls in love with a crazy guy and they end up killing some cool kids.”
Despite the dark-nature, Howard believes the themes played out by his students are important to talk about.
“Our students are not immune to it,” he added.
“I’m really drawn to things that challenge you and stir up uncomfortable or uncertain emotions. I think high school is a safe place, or should be a safe place. If you can’t discuss and explore these ideas in high school, then where can you?”
Grade 12 student Spring Kristensen plays the role of Heather Chandler, and said the production is “with our times.”
She explained how one character gets bullied and tries to commit suicide.
“It’s kind of how you don’t realize until it actually happens and you can never truly understand unless you take the time to get to know somebody and find out what they’re going through. It’s very eye-opening,” Kristensen said.
Playing the male lead role of Jason Dean (J.D.) is Grade 12 student Hayden Beer.
Beer explained his character is “messed up” because the character’s mother committed suicide by walking into a building that his dad was blowing up.
“Throughout the show, he just gets more and more crazy and insane,” added Beer.
Since the show is a musical, Beer’s vocals are also put up to the challenge, and he said he wasn’t confident in his singing ability until Grade 8 when he joined choir.
“Before Grade 8, I was too embarrassed to sing alone in my room. I got into Grade 8 and joined choir and musical theatre and everything changed, and now I’m male lead. It’s awesome I’m having so much fun.”
Playing Veronica is Grade 12 student Julie Koebel.
Koebel, who has been in theatre for two years, said she enjoys playing Veronica because she’s a “dynamic” character.
“We don’t quite know what she’s feeling so I get to make the choices and be confused on stage,” she added.
Koebel said Veronia is the biggest role she’s had in a production.
“It’s really interesting being so nervous beforehand and then getting before an audience and it all just fades away. You get in the zone and the moment and it feels right. Everybody’s doing awesome and you get to connect with people on stage in ways you never thought you would. It’s very inspiring.”
According to Koebel, one of the challenges of her role is that its difficult to sympathize with Veronica.
“She stumbles in with the Heathers and they take her in, pretty her up, and she meets a boy and she loves this boy or so she thinks. He starts doing weird crazy stuff like killing her friends, but she kind of forgives him multiple times. So it’s hard to sympathize with her. But in the end she is who she is, and she betters the school I think,” Koebel elaborated.
Approximately 70 students make up the entire production, and rehearsals have been taking place after school since October.
Heathers: The Musical runs from Wednesday, Feb. 27 until Saturday, March 2 at D.W. Poppy Secondary at 23752 52 Ave.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4056101
