EDITOR’S NOTE I: This is the fourth in a four-part series on the history of Bridgeport High School theatre.

 

SUBMITTED BY MAGGIE LOHMANN

 

For some students, becoming involved in the Bridgeport High School theatre program was a plan they had from a young age, while others made their debut on the stage later in their high school careers. They were transformed into the role models they once looked up to as the stories they told helped them to grow and mature. Regardless of their level of participation in the program, the spotlights helped all involved to shine on and off the stage.

               

After three previous decades of success, the fourth decade of BHS theatre continued to bring excitement to the community and confidence to students. The decade began with the Class of 2005’s production of “The Will Roger’s Follies.” The show was directed by Mr. Gregg Brown with help from Mr. Dan’l Linehan and Mr. Charlie Dillon.

               

One of the students in the show, Natalie Aliff, said, “The best thing about senior plays is the amount of people that participate that have never so much as stepped on a stage before, and then they’re up there singing and dancing. She said her senior production was “pretty special considering how long [Brown] had directed plays. I’ll never forget his booming laugh from the back of the auditorium—no matter how many times he had heard the joke on stage.”

               

For the all-school production of “Beauty and the Beast” that same school year, Linehan and Dillon took over the role of directors.

               

This show provided Aliff with another unique experience. “My sister, Stacie, was Belle, and I was so proud of the phenomenal way she performed night in and night out. It was special to watch her come out of her shell and take on the star role as a sophomore.”

               

In 2006, students were faced with a large challenge to perform Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Cats” for the all-school show. However, the end result proved to be a great learning experience for all and one of the “most transformative experiences” for actress Lindsay Dawson.

 

“I took on my role as Grizabella knowing how iconic she is to the production. Her song, her appearance, her quiet strength, her perseverance—each of these both excited me and intimidated me. I hoped to do her justice. I was only 15, and despite my age and hesitant confidence on stage, I like to think that being Grizabella helped me transform into the woman I am today,” Dawson explained. “She taught me a lot of lessons and being in that show was one of the greatest gifts.”

 

For another young performer—Bridget Bonamico— being cast in the production of “Cats” was “an honor.” She said it was her “favorite production by far. I was the only freshman in the show so that was very exciting. Most of all, I think I enjoyed it because I was able to meet older students that taught me about high school and even more about life.”

 

Even after becoming theatre alumni, many returned—continuing to take in the joy of theatre. This was the case for Aliff with the Class of 2007’s senior show. “My favorite production I was not a part of was ‘Leader of the Pack.’ It was my sister's senior play, and I just loved that production. I was so jealous I couldn't be in it. The music was fantastic and it was a show you could watch over and over again—which I did.”

 

The 2007 all-school show was “Les Miserables.” This was a production that touched and amazed performers and audiences alike.

 

Dylan Sheldon said it was his favorite show he watched while at BHS. “I have seen it outside of high school theatre, and it is such a massively difficult show to produce. After seeing that show, I was blown away by the way a group of 14-18 year-olds could come together under the direction of a few local people and perform something so incredibly professional.”

 

One of the actors in the production, Janice Gerlach, said, “When I think about the scope of that show and what we accomplished with so few resources, I am continually grateful and amazed.  It showed a great deal of trust and respect on the part of the administrators to let a bunch of high school students tackle such an intensely emotional and technically difficult production.”

 

This show also inspired Griff Cotter to become involved in theatre. “I had never heard my best friend, Patrick Gorrell, sing a note in my life but somehow he absolutely crushed it. It surprised me to the point I had tears in my eyes. Seeing Patrick succeed encouraged me, and from that point on I made a goal to land a lead role and sing at least one solo before I graduated.”

 

Cotter became involved in the 2008 all-school show, “Into the Woods” and achieved the goal he set when he participated in the Class of 2009’s “Grease” and the all-school show “Guys and Dolls.”

 

One of his favorite memories is from the last performance of “Guys and Dolls.” He said, “The whole show I had it in the back of my mind, ‘This is the last time you’ll ever say this to her,’ or ‘This is probably the last time the three guys with me in this number will ever be on the same stage singing the same song.’ I don’t know why, but that’s how my mind was thinking and processing things. During the bow sequence, he said, “I remember seeing my parents, the glare of the spotlights, the smell of the room, the feel of my partner’s hand, the bead of sweat dripping off my forehead. The moment felt like it lasted an eternity but ended in a second. I felt such a sense of accomplishment but also a cutting pain. The cast that started as individuals finished as a family, as a unit. For some reason, one of the first “lasts” of high school I remember is that one. It was the last time I was on that stage. And it was one of the happiest, saddest, proudest, most powerful moments of my life. Although that moment literally just ended one more last showing of an all school play, to me it has served as a metaphor to the bigger story that would be my life over the next five years. Looking back to the lights, people, music, and magic—the moment after you’re finished and before it all ends— makes me smile.”

 

Lauren Gates participated alongside Cotter in their senior production of “Grease.” She said it was “amazing because we all grew up watching ‘Grease’ and knew all of the songs already but it so much better getting to do it with the people you have been in class with since kindergarten.”

 

In 2009, the Class of 2010 presented “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The lead role was performed by theatre newcomer Dylan Sheldon.

 

“I think that by making the choice to audition for shows in high school, I was inadvertently taking on a level of responsibility and independence that I was not necessarily ready for. But the beauty of the way theatre works is that the show opens whether you’re ready or not. That caused me to mature in various ways at a quicker pace,” Sheldon said.

 

He added that it was “definitely his favorite production to be a part of. At that point I was so unsure of myself and what I was capable of doing, in and out of theatre, and there were key role models in the theatre department that I felt really invested in my life.”

 

Olivia Kinney reflected on one of the production’s unique factors when she said, “The majority of my class had never been in a show before so we were able to learn together and grow closer. There are so many years of history in the BHS theatre, and I’m glad I was able to be a small part of it.”

 

Kinney was not the only student who enjoyed this time with her classmates. Shelby Pernell said, “I loved rehearsals when the whole cast was around the piano singing the songs we had memorized so well.” She also said another memory is “being backstage and helping each other get ready to go on stage; it was a time to have fun and just be ourselves.”

 

In addition to kindling new friendships, theatre encouraged students to be more confident in themselves and their abilities. Lauren Trupo was a participant in numerous shows during high school, including the all-school production of “West Side Story” in 2011 and the Class of 2012’s “The Sound of Music.” “Being involved in theater really broadened my horizons by giving me plenty of opportunities, boosting my confidence, and giving me a wide range of friends I don’t think I would have ever talked to otherwise. I was always shy, and I still am, but the theater department opened my eyes to all the opportunities out there. Plays helped me open up, reach out to new people, and gave me the courage and confidence to run for student body president my senior year.”

This idea was true for Aliff as well. “While I was never necessarily shy, being on stage and in front of so many people really helped me in adult life. I will talk to anyone, anywhere, and I think a lot of that confidence probably came from being on the stage.”

 

Cotter shared that theatre “provided me with new challenges every day. As a young professional, I utilize an ever-growing confidence to step into the spotlight and shine under pressure when needed, but accompanying that confidence is an undying will to work in the shadows playing whatever role necessary to ensure the show goes on. Every day is ‘Show Time.’”

 

Maybe the greatest sentiment of theatre that was echoed by previous thespians was the unique joy and excitement it provided. “It’s so hard to describe that feeling of being onstage in front of a huge audience singing your heart out, and I am so glad that I got to experience that,” said Kara Mullins.

 

These feelings helped lead some to their career choices, as with Kody Mullins. “Theatre is what I'm good at. It's what I enjoy far and beyond anything else. If you would've asked me five years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up, actor wouldn't have even passed through my mind. I stayed with theatre because nothing ever brought as much joy.”

 

Dylan Sheldon shared that he enjoyed theatre because “it was an awesome outlet to do something I normally wouldn’t. I would never go out in the middle of the mall or to a sporting event and start singing openly at the top of my lungs. But that was alright in theatre. It was acceptable - and invigorating.” 

 

This invigoration is reflected by Cotter: “The feeling after nailing a show is unlike anything I have ever experienced because it is like everyone on the team just made a half court three pointer at the buzzer for the win. Being a part of something that has the ability to bring people that close together is something truly special.”

Rebecca Turnbull, who participated in shows from 2011 to 2014, explained, “My dad sometimes ran sound for plays while I was in elementary and middle school, so I would watch shows from the sound booth with my dad. Since then, I knew I was going to find my way onto that stage and inspire others the way those actors and actresses inspired me. You don't realize that what you're doing up there is actually magical for so many people watching it. I'm glad I got to know what it was like on the other side of the stage. It made every hardship and repetitive practice worth it.”

 

 “Despite the social hierarchy of high school, kids from all walks of adolescent life were able to escape and create and be vulnerable together,” said Gerlach. “Perhaps that’s just the power of storytelling, but regardless, it was important to me that for a little while I didn't have to be just a "nerd" or "band geek."  I could also be a dancing spoon or a cat or a singing diva! Considering I am a professional actor now, I believe it was important to have a place to express myself and my passions at an early age.” 

 

Click Here for Part 1.

Click Here for Part 2.

Click Here for Part 3.

 

Editor’s Note: Maggie Lohmann is a student in Mrs. Alice Rowe’s journalism class and submitted this story to Connect-Bridgeport.com. The photos were also submitted courtesy of the journalism department at the school.   Cover photo is Chiara Pulice as Elle Woods with ensemble in “Legally Blonde." First photo, is Stacie Aliff as Belle and Bobby Rexroad as the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast." Second photo, is of Dylan Sheldon in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” as Joseph. Third photo, is Lindsay Dawsom as Fantine in “Les Miserables." Last photo, Janice Gerlach as Shelly in “Leader of the Pack.”