BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield High School Thespian Society gave its last performances for the school year on May 21 and 22. As has been customary the last four years, it is not a stage play or musical, but a theater project.
According to the director of the production, Brandon Doemling, a theater project is “an amalgam of poetry, music, drama and dance surrounding a theme of identity and self-recognition.” Doemling credits his wife, Terry, for the definition, which he keeps handy on his smartphone.
The project, “This is us,” was all that. It had a cast of 29, 10 of whom are seniors. The band was composed of 20 student musicians.
What was unique about the show, and thrilling, was that the amalgam of poetry, drama and music was all determined by the student players.
“It starts with songs on the negative side and it goes to a positive position,” Doemling said. “We begin with the negative, what people said about them, the negative they said about themselves, and the positive things they said about themselves.”
The show began with “Under Pressure,” by Queen and David Bowie, defining the problem nicely. It transitioned to the spoken word, with works by Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Frost. Also recognized were Beyonce, Maya Angelou, Green Day, Walt Disney, Michael Jackson and more than 50 sources in all.
Criticism played a big part in the narrative, with students taking, from their own experiences, the misguided and sometimes plain dumb statements made to them by well-intentioned adults, friends and even inner demons.
The staging was simple: five microphones with stands at the edge of the stage. Behind this was the band, flanked by bleachers, where the students resided until it was their turn to sing.
“What is worse, new wounds or old wounds?” a narra
tor asked.
Judging from the applause, and not very long into the show, the audience realized the students had put something together and were going to pull it off. It was as if they were saying, “This is my hand, now watch how I play it.” The realization may have happened when Gemma Eshelman, Lauren Brown and Riley Cedar sang “Super Boy and Invisible Girl,” from “Next to Normal.” But there were so many good performances.
It was also a show without sentimentality, always and clearly remaining in the
present.
“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap,” one narrator said. “For a month, get married. For a life, help each other.”
The irony coming out of the show is that the students, young as they are, were talking about growth not a getting away from the self, but as a renewal of it.
“Having a great idea will make you rise above adversity,” is another quote.
“Love costs us all we are,” is another. So is, “the most intractable mistake beats the hell out of not trying. And “knowing is better than wondering.”
Doemling said the “spring project” has that name because the students can do anything they want.
“We found a format to expand what influences us,” he said.
He said next September he will be teaching four drama courses: Introduction to theater; Acting II; Stage Craft; and Advanced theater production.
“I wish I had more money to expand production values,” he said, “and get more professional help. Right now, I’m the director and producer of all the shows. I could hire a producer. Right now, I have to pay out of the box office.”
He said box office receipts pay for the sound system, the lighting designer, the production coordinator and set construction.
“But we’re scheduled to get a sound system”, he said.
But it was still very important for the theater department to receiving funding for its needs.
“A football team doesn’t have to rely on ticket sales for buying football helmets,” he said.
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