Since 1992, when Terry Stoecker and Michael Littman arrived to manage Proctor's theater programs, Winter Drama has elevated students to take active leadership in the writing, direction and production of innovative shows. Students spend long afternoons and evenings constructing sets, rehearsing lines and adopting roles. They work in the costume shop, the Black Box Theater, on the main stage, in the halls and--yes--elevators!
Distinct teams concentrate on different projects. The Children's Theater is touring area elementary schools, drawing young kids into the action, and performing witty, cultural folktales. Here, they engage Andover Elementary School children in stretching and relaxation exercises before a show in the Norris Family Theater.
The kids respond!
Aside from Children's Theater, Proctor students are directing three separate shows this winter. With professional insight and focus, Cameron and Jessy are directing Bernard Pomerance's powerful drama
The Elephant Man, the true story of Joseph "John" Merrick, whose hideous deformities lead to a career in freakshows in late 19th Century England (and Europe).
Befriended by London Hospital surgeon Dr. Frederick Treves (Jake Hoffman), Merrick (Derric Tankersley) becomes the object of attention by members of London society, including an actress, Mrs. Kendal (Anne Raffaelli), who finds him to be intelligent, sensitive and insightful.
The tension between initial revulsion at the sight of human deformity and acceptance by people of beauty, education and wealth lends the show to a whole set of moral issues involving redemption and the core of the human condition.
When Mrs. Kendal shakes Merrick's hand, it is the first time he has touched a woman; (later, she reveals her upper body to him, only to be caught and dismissed by Dr. Treves.)
Joseph Merrick died at the age of 27 at London Hospital in April, 1890. His life, as portrayed by the cast of The Elephant Man, is an inspiration today. The show plays Friday and Saturday at 7:00 PM in the Black Box Theater. Seating is limited; contact Jessy Lee or Cameron Lucas!
