By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
It can be difficult finding a play that fits a cast of a particular size, with the right variety of roles, and plenty of action for all cast members.
The solution?
Write your own play, custom made for a Young Performers Theater cast of 26 and crew of five, and full of action and mystery.
“I had the whole story arc with a number of the characters and some of the dialog,” said Zeke Blackwell, director of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp’s Young Performers Theater. “I waited until I knew who was going to be in the cast before I finalized everything.”
Director Zeke Blackwell demonstrates how to take a bow on the Odess Theater stage during rehearsals for the Young Performers Theater production of “Ghost Writers” Wednesday evening. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
“Ghost Writers” premieres 7 p.m. Friday at Odess Theater in the Allen Building on the SJ campus. Additional performances will be staged at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The theater group gave a special performance to the students of Baranof Elementary School.
Blackwell, the writer and director, said he planned to put this play on two years ago, but had to put it on hold when the pandemic struck. Since then some kids have aged out of the Young Performers program, and others have come in, but the ones who knew he had been working on the play asked about it over time.
“Sometimes I find plays that are a good fit for the program,” Blackwell said. “But it’s hard to find a play that fits for the students I have and gives everyone something to do in the play. When you write it you can be flexible and make it tailored to a group of students.”
The story involves a group of young paranormal investigators looking into a series of unexplained occurrences at their local library. During their investigation, they share stories, and encounter at least one ghost and characters taken from folklore.
The investigators each have their own strengths that add to the team. They are Mystic (Eir Christianson), Wiki (Morgan Hames), Ace (Ruby Szymoniak), Eyeballs (Ada Olbrych) and Greenie (Arya Galanin).
Setting it in a library was an easy call, since Blackwell’s mom, Lisa Wan, has been a librarian for more than 30 years.
“I love libraries – I grew up in them,” he said.
Arya, 10, and Ruby, 11, told the Sentinel in an interview this week that Ace – “who’s pretty hungry,” – is the leader of the group. And Greenie is the newest member, “the scared one,” Arya said.
They said the library is closed because a ghost is haunting it, and the investigators are looking for the ghost.
“We each have our own personalities and we start telling stories and the stories come to life,” Ruby said.
“We split up into groups,” Arya said.
It’s the first time the two sisters have been cast in lead roles since they started YPT. This is their sixth and most favorite play of them all, although “Midsummer Night’s Dream” was another favorite.
“I like all the creative characters,” Ruby said of “Ghost Writers.”
“I really like how it’s really curious – you don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Arya said. “All the stories eventually come together.”
Having larger roles does come with a higher level of responsibility, adding to some nerves to their excitement.
“There’s definitely more pressure not to forget your lines,” Ruby said. “We have a lot of lines that are really vital to the play – if we miss those, the play doesn’t make sense.”
They said rehearsals have been coming together well, and the cast has been working hard to learn lines, attending rehearsals and events such as “the costume parade.” They said they think kids would like the play although Arya pegged one of her lines as “a little morbid.”
“I think it would be OK for little kids,” Ruby said.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youths under 18. They can be purchased at fineartscamp.org under “Shows.” Masks are optional for attendees.
