Recently, local high school students and the Edmonds Senior Center collaborated in dramatic fashion with a show of real-life stories. Daniel Johnson from the Senior Center provided this report.
Spanning the Generations
It all started over a cup of coffee – as so many good ideas do. Imagine if we brought high school drama students together with members from the Senior Center and had them depict each other’s lives on stage? After six months of meetings and rehearsals, on Friday evening (May 6) the doors to the Edmonds-Woodway High School theater opened for the community performance of Spanning the Generations.
To call it a performance feels like it diminishes its significance — it truly was more of an “experience.”
Six months earlier, EWHS Drama Instructor Bruce Mindt asked his class of students how many would be interested in participating in an after-school drama project with the Senior Center. He underscored that this would not be for credit and would be on top of class and other extracurricular commitments. Fourteen hands shot up. Two weeks later, the first meeting of the seniors and students took place among props and lighting in the theater. Unlike the all-too-familiar forced situation from well-meaning parents: “Now when your grandparents come over I want you to talk to them…”, the awkwardness quickly turned into genuine interest and spirited conversation. It could have ended there and been a success.
The big night
Bruce welcomed the small but intimate audience to the performance and described it as historical fiction. The vignettes to come all depicted true life experiences but in most cases were modified to lend themselves to telling the story on stage. He closed by saying: “When we started this project we had no idea where it was headed. After a lot of work and little magic, here we are…”
The stage went completely dark. A loud siren sounded and you could hear footsteps running. You quickly realize it is a crowed bomb shelter of frightened neighbors during WWII. The spotlight then illuminated three of the participating seniors who told what it was like to experience the War as a child. Fast forward to the final scene — the audience hears the familiar alarm and voice over the loud speaker: “We are in lockdown. This is not a drill. Remain in your classroom. Lights out, secure the door – no cell phones.” The power of the same actors depicting shared fear in real scenarios in a time frame 70 years apart was effective.
The stories depicted were both large and small. From 83 year-old JoAnn Cratty, who was the first female sheriff’s deputy on patrol in King County — You want to do what? — to the chance meeting that led to Dick Floyd’s 60-year marriage — How I Met my Wife. All stories were cleverly written and well-acted. One vignette — Neighbors — opens with two young women at a lunch counter. A drink is delivered to Mrs. Smith. Through a fast-paced and humorous exchange, they realize they have the same last name and grew up only blocks apart. When the actor portraying Jim Hodges enters the restaurant to meet his wife for a dinner reservation, you see the panic is in his face when he sees this wife and ex-wife sharing a drink. Taking license, emphasizing the fiction part of historical fiction — the jolting words, “You never told me you were married before!” leave “John” speechless and bewildered on stage as the two women leave the stage arm in arm for the dinner reservation for two…
The 30-minute performance was followed by a discussion with the actors and audience, which amplified the significance of the experience. When Dick was asked why he chose the story of meeting his wife to be portrayed, he responded, “because it was the most important thing that has happened in my life.” JoAnn shared how everyone was uneasy at the first meeting but quickly they all gelled. She went on to say,” I just love all these kids and feel privileged to have been part of it.” The students were asked what is was like to portray characters that were involved in the production. They responded, “It did make me nervous because I wanted to get it right, but it was also so valuable.” Jumping in, the student portraying JoAnn commented, “early on JoAnn said we had the wrong tone. It was not about aggressively pursuing the role as patrol officer, it was about relying on the relationships she had built through her career in the department as a clerk.” The primary theme expressed by the audience was that they were delighted and hoped there would be more.
Lasting bonds
The bonds formed between the students and seniors were evident as they said goodbye. Seventeen-year-old Thea approached JoAnn to say, “It was an honor to get to know you and portray your story on stage. I hope I got it right.” JoAnn’s feelings were expressed in an embrace.
Having been a part of the experience from beginning to end, it was inspiring to see the depth of understanding and appreciation of another person’s life experience when one portrays their story on stage. Had you wandered into any given rehearsal, you would have heard the deep laughter that is typically reserved for the closest of friends — coming from a circle of people representing a 65-year age gap. As one audience member said, “The performance gave me a sense of hope. Imagine a community where generations are not separated but are deeply connected drawing on each other’s life experience.”
— By Daniel Johnson, MSW, Edmonds Senior Center
The Edmonds Senior Center is currently partnering with the City of Edmonds to build a multi-generational community center on the current waterfront site. To find out more about the senior center, including their gala coming May 20, see their website.
What an inspiration! Congratulations to all involved, and I would love to have attended. Please keep it up for those of us who have just learned about this adventure.