Lampman High School Theatre presented “Circus Fire” by Canadian playwright Janet Munsil on Tuesday, March 28, in Lampman in preparation for the Region One Drama Festival held in Oxbow on March 31 and April 1.
The play focuses on the true story of a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus fire, which tragically struck in Hartford, Connecticut in July 6, 1944. The performance was unique in that characters would transition from one character to another seamlessly on stage: as two individuals sold snacks, one woman searched for her son, and as they crossed paths, they changed characters. The mother became another person selling snacks at the circus, while the other two transitioned into a young girl that had snuck into the circus and an injured soldier she came to be sitting beside.
Transitions from people to animals were also done on-stage with a change in lighting and the actors taking on a different persona portraying a new character/animal.
“This is a very challenging script, both to the actors and especially to the audience as it requires a certain level of theatre experience perhaps to fully unpack, suspend beliefs and follow the movement and plot of a show done in this style,” Christine Branyik-Thornton, the director, explained. “As part of our ongoing growth as a company we decided to tackle this script; Italian commedia dell-arte style has a very long tradition of being very circus-like and uses only a few actors to tell many stories.”
The play follows a young girl who snuck into the circus, a wounded soldier she sits with, a mother and her son, as they enjoy “the greatest show on Earth!” The comedic show becomes tragic as a fire breaks out. Based on true events, a total of 167 people perished in the blaze, including a young girl recovery workers named, “Little Miss 1565,” whose identity wasn’t discovered until years later.
“It is a very challenging piece, rooted in the commedia dell’arte style and requiring both strong physical and ensemble work, all while using very minimal dialogue,” Branyik-Thorton states in a director’s note on the program. “It has been a challenge that LHS students have embraced and worked incredibly hard to bring to the stage.”
Performing in the play are Cassidy Roy (six parts), Carter Branyik-Thornton(12 parts), Adrianna Raynard (eight parts), Donavon Andrews (nine parts), Kaya Furey (three parts), Devyn Smyth (three parts), Alexis Christensen (three parts), Matthew Getschel (five parts), Jenna Fleck (three parts) and Gavin Fleck (two parts).
Crew included assistant director – Lucas Bartsch, stage manager and lighting– Hayley Dechaine, sound – Brandon Miller, followspot 1 – Landon Vinck, followspot 2 – Jacob Kautz, SL backstage manager – Desiree Kautz, SR backstage manager – Kaitlin Stephen, and live sound – Gavin Fleck.
With their performance in Oxbow; Lampman is heading to the Provincial Drama Festival in May.
They also earned numerous awards from the Region One Drama Festival including: Best Overall, Best Visual, Runner Up Best Technical, Mary Ellen Burgess Outstanding Acting - Cassidy Roy, Runner Up to Mary Ellen Burgess Award sponsored by Cornerstone Theatre - Carter Branyik-Thornton, Runner Up Bob Hinnett Tech Excellence Award -Brandon Miller (sound), Runner Up Best Stage Manager- Hayley Dechaine, Unsung Hero Award - Adrianna Raynard, Tech Medallion Award- Donavon Andrews, Tech Certificates - Landon Vinck and Jacob Kautz (followspot), and Adrianna Raynard (script research).
