MIDLAND Conor, 13, keeps waking up from the same nightmare he has been experiencing for months.
Suddenly, a voice calls to him from outside his bedroom window and the main character of the play walks to the window to meet the monster who called.
What follows is a series of stories told by the monster and Conor that tell the audience members why the monster came and why Conor has been having nightmares.
That and more can be expected in the Midland Community Theatre’s upcoming production “A Monster Calls.”
The show opens at 7:30 p.m. today and runs through Oct. 16 with six total shows.
Director Bill Williams who has done a number of shows at MCT, including “Matilda: The Musical” back in July.
“Ever since I read the book and saw the movie ‘A Monster Calls’ I loved the material,” Williams said. “I always thought it would make an interesting play, especially for a teen acting company. It deals with many issues that teens encounter as they grow up. I learned that the play had been done by the Old Vic in England and was excited to get the script and have MCT produce it.”
The show is a heartfelt and intimate story about coping with illness and loss. A film adaptation of the play came out in 2016.
“It is a wonderful story full of emotion,” Williams said. “It is about family, love, and grief. It covers many issues that young people have to go through such as finding acceptance, dealing with life issues, and even bullying. It is a play that really speaks to me and has a lot of heart to it. The other aspect that I enjoy is that it’s done in story theatre style. Costumes are simple, and there isn’t a large set. The story is told through solid acting, lights, projections and sound.”
The play is a moving story about a boy who feels very damaged, guilty and mostly angry. He struggles at school with either bullies or those that show him too much pity.
Home life is not much better as he is dealing with his mother’s illness and a demanding grandmother.
“At night he is visited by a yew tree monster who tells him stories that not only teach, but also help him in dealing with his difficult issues,” Williams said. “The yew tree monster gets Conor to reveal his truth which, in the end, will free him.”
Williams says rehearsals have been going well so far, mentioning that it’s a “demanding piece of theater.”
“The ensemble members are required to play numerous roles,” Williams said. “There is a lot of movement in the play and it requires a lot of focus and concentration. The young actors in this production have risen to the occasion.”
The role of Conor for this production is double cast with Jono Wallace and Alex Wolston both playing the lead role.
“I enjoy hanging out with other people and experience what Conor’s going through,” Wallace said who is a freshman at Hillcrest in Midland. “He’s going through all of this and then, it just kind of breaks towards the end.”
This is Wallace’s first show at Midland Community Theatre, and he was surprised with his casting as one of the lead characters.
“I was not expecting it,” Wallace said. “I thought I would get a small role, but instead I got the big role.”
The role of Conor’s mother is another double cast with Hope Newbrough and Paula Patron.
“The main part about her character is that in the play, she’s often portrayed as sick,” Patron, who is a sophomore at Midland Young Women’s Academy. “It’s sort of her downfall. At the beginning, she comes off as pretty strong and just herself. But as the treatments keep going, she then spirals down with her cancer. It doesn’t specify what it is. But she’s struggling with it internally and externally. She’s trying to convince herself that she’s going to be fine for Conor, her son. She’s trying to convince herself that as well. … She’s going through a lot, both physically and emotionally.”
For Patron, this is her fourth play at Midland Community Theatre, having previously done “Frog and Toad,” “Matilda” and “Peter the Star Catcher.”
Patron says it’s taken a lot of research to play this role.
“Other than just learning lines, I have to think about the character and analyse to see how I want to portray the character and how to best portray the character from something that I have not had any experience with,” Patron said. “That’s been a challenge, but it’s been nice.”
Playing the role as the grandma is both Karen Ortega and Imani Shaw.
“It’s been really fun,” Shaw said of the play, and is a freshman at Midland Christian. “It’s been a definite change but also a change that’s been really good. The cast has been really good too. That cast itself has been really fun to be around. It’s been a fun and safe place. It’s definitely a place I look forward to coming to after school.”
Shaw says this is her third play at Midland Community Theatre having also been involved with “Peter the Star Catcher” and “Matilda.”
“Very excited (for opening night),” Shaw said. “I think opening nights have a special feeling to them especially after being around so close to the cast. You have all these fun memories to share and you look forward to cast parties and bonding. It’s all fun.”
If you go
- What: “A Monster Calls.”
- When: 7:30 p.m. tonight; 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15; and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
- Where: Midland Community Theatre.
- Tickets: tinyurl.com/bd3utduu
