Creating Sisterhood

Story appeared in the 2017 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.

BY HAYLEY PICARD, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

“I was a little hesitant about portraying a nun. We all were,” laughs Allie Johnston, Grade 11. “But when our first read through went well, we got really excited about the play.”

Allie Johnston rehearses for her role as Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act.

Allie Johnston rehearses for her role as Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act.

For Johnston, the choice to portray Sister Mary Patrick in this year’s performance of Sister Act brought with it deep connections with her cast mates and the unexpected self-discovery of her own resilience in the face of adversity.

Considered one of the most challenging drama performances for a high school to showcase, Sister Act, dared QMS students from the start. With over 24 scene changes, a robust musical score, large cast, creative set design requirements, and controversial script content, actors would need to come together as a cohesive team to stage a successful performance. Yet, even awareness of the story line was outside the life experience of any cast members.

“The movie version of Sister Act came out before any of us were born,” explains Johnston. “We had no context or understanding of the story line. So we auditioned for our parts cold, then watched the movie together as a cast. That’s when the learning really began.”

Student actors from Grades 5 through 12 began rehearsals in January and learning the main script went fairly smoothly, until the original show date in March neared. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the play’s director had to withdraw from being part of the production, casting the play’s future in an uncertain light.

The instability of leadership caused stress for the students, leading a few to make the difficult decision to quit the play. Johnston shares that this set-back made everyone reflect deeply on their personal commitment levels and desire to act. The majority of the cast chose to continue with the play out of pure stubbornness and see the curtain rise on their efforts.

The performance was postponed to allow time for former QMS Director Paul Totzke to step in, collaborate with Musical Director, Alison Hounsome and revitalize the direction of the play. “Paul secured big back drops which helped bring the script to life, broke down our rehearsals into smaller more manageable components and refocused our efforts,” a smiling Allie shares. “We had invested months of time and energy into this performance, so we were deter mined to make it work!”

The sheer scale of Sister Act still weighed on Johnston and members of the cast. Learning the musical score, pairing it with appropriate choreography and perfecting scene transition changes all came down to the wire. Stage Manager, Kyra Gurski (Grade 11) and teacher Sarah Day stepped up to assist Totzke by guiding the cast and crew of 49 through additional repetitive, exhausting rehearsals. Whether the cast was ready or not, the curtain rose on April 27, 2017.

With the additional pressure of a sold out house for every performance, Johnston knew it was going to be tough, yet even she was shocked by how well it went. The months of hectic schedules, the multitude of challenges, set-backs, and uncertainty caused each cast member to dig deep and present a united front to the world. Sister Act was a success for everyone involved, receiving fabulous reviews and providing the cast with a profound sense of triumph.

“The feeling of accomplishment was intense,” murmurs Allie. “We were so happy to complete the play, relieved it was over and yet sad to have it end. How crazy is that?” She admits that it took each cast member, from dream sequence dancer to gangster and Mother Superior, to realize their importance in the successful execution of the play. “It takes courage not to give up, and it’s incredibly hard work, but the outcome is always better than you expect.”

As the moral of Sister Act is about self-discovery and the positive power of sisterhood, it is only fitting that this was a lesson learned by the actors as well as the characters.