Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Junior High School will present “Alice in Wonderland” during five performances this week and next.
Science teacher Liz Johnson and language arts teacher Brian Gold are co-directing the play.
“The play is our rewrite of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’” Johnson said. “There’s been a concern about bullying at the junior high, so the idea was to address something at our junior high play.”
The students connect with things like the play better than they will just hearing it, she said. The play is a traditional “Alice” theme, with anti-bullying themes underlying it.
The play will talk about how to be a positive role model, how not to put people down, combating bullying with positive behavior and what bullying is, she said.
The play includes 20 actors and actresses and five crew members.
“This cast is probably the most talented group of individuals I have worked with,” Johnson said. “All these kids come from different social groups.”
They’ve really started coming together, Johnson said, kind of breaking through the cliques that are so common among junior high students.
Johnson believes it’s important to keep drama going at the junior high level.
“More and more fine arts are being cut from the subjects,” she said. “It’s an outlet for the fine arts. It’s fun, and it gives them self-confidence. I can’t stress it enough. It kind of empowers them.
“It gives them a way to express themselves and a level of culture they can’t experience anywhere else.”
Johnson has been involved in junior high drama for four years, she said.
“Students are my passion,” she said. “For me to get those amazing relationships with them, I feel like I have to be connected like this.”
She also loves drama, and she was active in it when she was in school, she said.
Actor Corbitt Sanders said he is hoping to remain active in drama when he heads to high school next year.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s a very fun experience for me.”
The school presented “Arsenic and Old Lace” last year.
“I actually like this play more than last year’s,” said eighth-grader Korianna Klein, adding that she thinks the audience will know this story better.
The school will present the plays at the Oak Heights Theater at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14 with a performance at 2 p.m. on Dec. 15.