Watching The Musical By: Paige Comeau
March 18, 2019, the cast of the musical “Nunsense” are having one of their very last practices before the opening show on Thursday. As the show itself has a lot of audience participation, my father and I were invited to come and watch the run-through so the cast can practice the show with real reactions.
Now, we arrived rather early, as my sister’s in the Musical and she needed to change into her costume, check her mic, etc. So, because of this I had a few minutes before the run-through to set up my camera and observe the cast. Anyone observing the cast could tell at first glance that they all had great chemistry. To put on a good show, especially one like Nunsense, the cast not only needs to have great acting, singing, and dancing, but they need to have that kind of connection. All the members were chatting excitedly, laughing, and practicing with one another. Any person watching would know that they were having the best time putting on the show.
After checking mics, fixing costumes, and some quick practicing, the show was finally ready to begin.
The opening was my sister (Lily Comeau) reading a very sarcastic and witty card written by Mrs. Landry and ad-libbing to whatever the audience threw at her through her opening speech. Then the Mother Superior (Played by Divina Hernandez) came out and the show began. Now I can’t go through all the numbers one by one, but the opening number is something that really stuck with me. I loved the beautiful Latin prayer that began the song that would right after become very up beat and high energy. The song introduced all leads and what the show was about.
The Cast: Leads, Reverend Mother played by Divina Hernandez, Sister Mary Hubert played by Olivia Boudreau, Sister Robert Ann played by Lily Comeau, Sister Mary Amnesia played by Emma Dessureau, and Sister Mary Leo played by Sarah Percival. One thing that I loved about this Musical was the casting. A lot of the cast members are students of Mrs. Landry’s and so she knew exactly what role they would fit. I don’t think it would have been the same had anyone been a different role. Plus, there were another fourteen amazing people in the cast the show just wouldn’t have been the same without. Audra, Nadine, Natalie, Serena, Caleb, Anna, and Nathan, Savannah, Chandra, Kasmira, Emma, Ellen, and Elizabeth. All these people were fantastic, and made the show better each in their own way. Personal favorite characters of mine were : Father Virgil and his friendship with Robert Ann, Sister Mary Wilhelm because she’s the Nurse *Gasp*, Sister Mary Annette and her “Hit it Sweetie”, and you can’t forget Sister Julia, Child of God, (Crosses Self), you really can’t.
On the Musical itself : Lily Comeau, as anyone who’s met me knows, is my twin sister. And twins are pretty close, as anyone who’s ever seen the parent trap knows. So, I went to the musical every night. Plus that one practice. So I saw the musical a total of four times. Because of that I’d like to think I have a pretty good idea of what happened during the show. Like I said earlier, I can’t talk about every song, but I can give an overview of what we saw. Basically, the show is about a group of Nuns who are raising money to get rid of the four dead Nuns in the freezer. Not your average comedy. To go deeper into it, Sister Julia Child Of God *crosses self*, the chef, made a soup that killed 52 of the convent’s members. They raised enough money to bury the sisters, but before they buried the last four, Reverend Mother bought a plasma screen TV, and they have to put the Nuns in the freezer. So they put on this show (The one you’re watching), in order to “Clean out the Freezer”. But during this show, several things happen, Robert Ann pushes desperately to sing her solo, a puppet steals a solo, Reverend Mother gets high, and on top of it all, Amnesia can’t even remember her real name.
Overall, I really loved the show, enough to see it four times, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next year.
Being in the Musical By: Emma Dessureau
For those of you who may not know, in March, our drama club put on the musical Nunsense. Most audience members have agreed that the performance very entertaining and fun to watch. The show was interactive and had a lot of fun bits involving the audience. It seemed to be more of an experience than a show.
Nunsense is a 1985 musical comedy by Dan Goggin. The original show features five of the eighteen surviving Little Sisters of Hoboken, a one-time missionary order that ran a leper colony on an island south of France, discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, accidentally killed the other fifty-two residents of the convent with her tainted vichyssoise while they were off playing bingo with a group of Maryknolls. Upon discovering the disaster, Mother Superior had a vision in which she was told to start a greeting card company to raise funds for the burials. The greeting cards were an enormous success and, thinking there was plenty of money, the Reverend Mother bought a plasma t.v for the convent, leaving her with no money to pay for the last four burials. With the deceased nuns on ice in the deep freeze, they decide to stage a variety show in the Mount Saint Helen's School auditorium to raise the necessary amount. The version put on at our school was slightly different, as it was the Mega Musical version. This version features extra roles, a few added songs and scenes, and much more.
But one might wonder, how does a show like this come together? What goes on behind the scenes? What’s it like being a part of a musical? We have some answers for you. We took it upon ourselves to interview a few cast members and see what it was like to be a nun.
The show contained a cast of 16 and a 4 member stage crew. The cast and crew put three months of hard work into making this show the best it could be. Some brought in props, some helped build sets, some even helped set and strike props during shows. Everyone lent a hand into the making of this phenomenal production.
However, as with anything , there were some difficulties. “We had a lot of snow on rehearsal days which made us worry that we wouldn’t have enough time. And we had some trouble with the chorus parts in Growing Up Catholic. But we worked through those things and I think the show was a huge success!” confides Emma Dessureau (Sister Amnesia).
The cast and crew say that the directors, Mrs. Landry and Mr. Lepisto, were fun and easy to work with, which made the process better. “They work us hard, but that's only because they know what we can do, in a time span of three months.” says Kasmira Coll (Ensemble). “I wouldn't change them for any other directors.” The directors are a fantastic team in making these shows. They work with the cast so fluently it’s truly astonishing.
Spending months working on a project and having a common goal tends to bond people together, and that’s exactly what happened with this team. “Everyone's hilarious and really sweet.” Natalie Johnson (Sister Luke) reveals. “I really look up to a lot of them, and feel like we've gotten closer.” The cast and crew work very well with one another. There’s rarely any arguments, and it’s quite like being part of a family. “We all worked together pretty well and everyone is pretty committed.” says Olivia Boudreau (Sister Hubert).
The directors, cast, and crew all put together an amazing show. If this year's musical is any indication, we can expect more great production's in the future.
Boys Tennis - An Overview
BY: Emily Shouse
I interviewed Ms.Mabardy, one of the coaches for Gardner High’s boys tennis team, a few practices before the team’s first match. I asked about the upcoming season for boy’s tennis, and about how the team is doing overall. Ms Mabardy is the new technical head coach, with Mr. Prouty being the assistant coach. It is her first year as coach after Mr. Hawkins stepped down. While Mr. Prouty works with the players themselves, Ms. Mabardy figures out a lot of logistics of the team.
What are you hoping to come out of this sports season? “We are hoping to see more veteran players further develop their skills on and off the court as leaders. We are interested in watching the growth of our brand new players, who have already made so much progress in such a short amount of time.”
Do you think the team is prepared for this season? “We could use more members, but they are more prepared than in season’s past.”
What do you think are some obstacles the team might face this season? “The numbers are an obstacle, they’re at a point where they can fill positions for matches, but it will be tricky when events are happening.”
What do you think about the schools you are up against? “Some are in a similar position as the team or when they were last season, but the schools have larger numbers and more interest.”
What do you think are some strengths the team has? “Some have been working together well and for a long time. Many players have a great natural ability. Many are eager to teach the new players about the sport.”
Overall, how confident are you and the team for this season? “[The team] is going to have a more competitive season. We probably will have a better season than last season. We are more technically prepared for games.”
An Interview with the AD - AKA a sports overview
Written By Paige Comeau
Interview by Damali Waugh
Because the end of the year is nearing more and more every second, we, the paper, decided to interview Coach Dan, this years new athletic director, about this year in sports.
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Damali : Can you tell me a little bit about your role as AD? What are some highlights and challenges?
Well, as Athletic Director Dan has to deal with direct athletics, uniforms, buses, games officials, and basic supplies, as well as helping schedule everything. He has to support teachers with athletes and partner with booster clubs.
A huge highlight of this year, according to Dan, would be having the ability to build so many relationships between students and families.
However, a challenge, one that I, even though I’m not an athlete, can agree with would be, “THE RAIN”.
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Damali : How has GHS as a “sports community” been?
A close community, he told us. A lot of students play multiple sports, which brings many students, families, and faculties together for the games and otherwise.
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Damali : What are you looking forward to for the next year?
According to Damali, Dan is most looking forward to going into a new year and being more organized. As well as the new field, (Aren’t we all).
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Damali : What are some of the changes you have made this year?
Changes that Dan has made to the town this year includes running summer and athletic camps, and youth clinics.
Changes to the school include things like keeping hockey in the system, the fact that eighth graders will be playing middle school sports, and adding football to the Middle School.
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Damali : What are some of your favorite sports memories from this year?
Some of these memories include when teams like Girls Soccer and Boys Basketball qualifying for districts, and Cheerleading winning so many trophies. But also a few tributes to The Track teams, like qualifying for states, and Sophomore Savannah Pineda breaking records for the sport.
As well as winning games and breaking records, some of the best memories for Dan is playing football on Stone Field, having Senior nights, and holding end of the year banquets.
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This year overall, I think we’ve done pretty well in terms of sports, and I can’t wait to see what the next year will hold.
Also, great job Coach Dan, for helping of all this be possible, and thanks for letting us bug you during advisory on Thursday.
A Poem on Graduating and Saying GoodBye
"Parting Ways"
One more month, only thirty days.
Until we say goodbye to these high school ways.
No more early morning hall walks.
No more drama and gossip talks.
No more of these high school folkways.
Oh how the years went by, flew past the eyes.
We are now ready to say our last goodbye.
Goodbye to our teachers.
Goodbye to our peers.
Goodbye to this place we’ve known so many years.
Now onto our next journey, college or other.
Taking our final steps out of this school, possibly forever.
And as we take our final exit and part from one another,
We will hold a great remembrance of the time we spent together.
A Creative Writing Piece
Flowers; by Sam Boudreau
“Flowers….aren't they beautiful?” My husband said while touching them gently.
“Yes, they are,” I replied smiling.
“Not as beautiful as my flower.” He said while looking at me, and cups my face gently with his large soft hands, kisses my forehead and pulls back smiling.
I smile back and shed a tear. I look out the window as the breeze came through the cracks of the windowsill as the beautiful flower field moves gently with the wind in a seemingly never ending dance while water gently drops from the sky almost as if to weep for things to come.
It has been years since that day. I look down at my hands holding a dead flower. It was my husband's favorite flower I grasp onto the Amaryllis as if it was the last thing on earth. I then looked up again at the picture of my husband from the day before his death. It was a picture of us on our anniversary.
“I love you….” I said as I can feel my heart ache, ready to burst like a balloon.
My heart aches just from looking at pictures of him or even thinking of him. I fell off my chair weeping I knew this was my time to die.
My soulmate is dead, so that means I'm next. I have been, suffering with all the dreadful sorrow and pain in my heart. When will this end ? Now? Or do I forever live in agony... maybe, I can finally see my husband again.
I can see him with light gently glowing behind him, and his hand stretched out ready for me to grab onto him. I don’t have the strength to lift my arm up, and all I can do is sob. I felt alone without him, he was my world my everything.
I feel pathetic without him.
I've lost all I ever had.
Everything was fading to darkness, and the last thing I heard before falling unconscious was, “ I love you too.”
As the flower in my hand fell from my grasp, and as I left this world to be in another. To be with the one I love.
My soulmate; I was his flower and He was my sun.
Students of the Months
November World Language 8th grade - Kaylynn Gray
9th grade - Gino DiVito
10th grade - Devon Raymond
11th grade - Michael Douangdara
12th grade - Rebecca Lashua
December Social Studies 8th grade - Ava Robles
9th grade - Kevin Toro
10th grade - Julie Richard
11th grade - Alex Lopez
12th grade - Julia Jaillet
January Technology/ARTS 8th grade - Michael Mirambeaux
9th grade - Emma Dessureau
10th grade - Ashley Leblanc
11th grade - Ari White
12th grade - Evan Zollo
February Math 8th grade - Cadence Decarskey
9th grade - Gabie Gonzalez
10th grade - Kiarah Moore
11th grade - Cory Zollo
12th grade - Dan Hidalgo
March Science 8th grade -Isaac Swan
9th grade - Chialyna Vue
10th grade - Treshaun Jarrett
11th grade - Tommy Piermarini
12th grade - Justin Nguyen
April PE/Health 8th- Kaylee Bettez
9th- Alexander Lucier
10th- Shiv Patel
10th- Savannah Pineda
12th- Greg Ambrose
May ELA/ESL
8th - Adam Johnson
9th - Emma Ashmore
10th Skylar Grenier
11th Jenna Fuentes
12th Olivia Boudreau
CONGRATS TO SENIORS, AND ALL THE STUDENTS OF THE MONTHS
Credits:
Created with images by Kelli Tungay - "untitled image" • nike159 - "tennis ball tennis court" • Karim MANJRA - "untitled image" • eugeniu - "sport tennis ball"