The Black and White

by Bridget Pouliot

Music and laughter echo through the halls of Pilgrim, sounding from the auditorium. After school on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, along with Saturdays and school holidays a group of kids and an ambitious English teacher are hard at work when few others remain in the building. Affectionately referred to as a “dysfunctional family”, the Pilgrim Players build sets from scratch, create costumes from scraps, and program and learn entire shows in two months or less. Currently, they are preparing for their 2024 Fall Musical, Little Women.

Based on the bestselling novel, Little Women, drama director Mr. Denningham explains, the play is a heartwarming, upbeat tale of four teenage girls during the Civil War as they navigate life and growing up. The Little Women musical, while a story about four sisters and their love for each other, mainly focuses on Jo. An ambitious spirit, loyal-to-the-bone and dedicated to her family, Jo is a writer who dreams of traveling the world and being a famous author. Senior Alexandra Howlett will be portraying her on the stage.

“I love that rush of adrenaline and anxiety right before you belt out a note or perform a monologue in front of a crowd,” Alexandra expressed. Despite being the club Vice President, she had not expected to love drama as much as she did. Alexandra joined as a freshman because of her older sister, expecting to put it second to field hockey before she realized how much she loved it. “My favorite part of the club is obvious; it’s the people. The sense of community of that shared interest of putting on a show is so pure and fun. The energy is tangible.”

Many of the other seniors in the club share similar feelings in regards to why they joined the club, why they stayed, and what their favorite parts are. Senior Kate Healey shared, “The community of the club is both what brought me back junior year and what kept me there. I love being able to spend time with everyone and have fun together.” She joined initially to have more time to hang out with her friends, but found she grew to love how everyone is “one big family behind the scenes. We all care about each other and help each other out.”

While many seniors love the relationships they built in drama, others have different reasons for why they enjoy the club so much. Deck Manager Kathryn Pike is in charge of building and moving sets for the shows. While she says she loves how supportive people are in the club and the friendships she has built, her favorite part is the responsibility she gets at a young age.

Senior Charlotte (Lottie) Williamson has similar thoughts. With four shows under her belt, she is the House Manager for the Pilgrim Players. “I take care of the front of the house during shows, and I am in charge of the money made during the show nights and sales, while also taking care of the advertisements for the show,” she explained. “I love doing playbills.”

Many of the members of the Pilgrim Players joined due to their friends being a part of the club. This was the case with senior Isabella Simas, who does spotlights and helps build and paint set pieces. She said her friend described some things she could do in Pilgrim’s Drama Club and she found it interesting, so she joined. Veronica Thongdee, one of the heads of drama’s art department, found herself in a similar situation where a friend told her she should join. Now, doing her second show with the Pilgrim Players, she has found much joy from being backstage on show nights and the memories created there.

Seniors Frangie Ramirez Acosta and Ray Diedrich mentioned they enjoy unleashing their creativity. Frangie joined the club in her sophomore year when her friend recommended the club to her after she switched schools. She is a costume assistant and stagehand, and loves selecting outfits for the actors and building sets with her friends. Ray joined drama his freshman year, then left and rejoined this year. He is also helping in the costumes department and is excited to put the show together with the other “cool people” in the club.

For some other members, they came into high school knowing they wanted to join the Pilgrim Players from the outset. Senior Sarah Burnham signed up her freshman year after she had taken part in drama at Warwick Vets in middle school. She is now the dance captain of the club, and she is thriving as she aids our choreographer in teaching and polishing dances.

The Pilgrim Players Drama Club prospers from the students’ (and the advisor’s) love for the community and what they accomplish together. Stage Manager and Club President Alyssa Grenier knows it is not easy to be a freshman in high school, the new kid. Shy as a freshman, her stepmother was the one who convinced her to join the drama club. Now a senior, any hint of her being shy has faded away. As Mr. Denningham’s right hand, she practically runs the show, along with handling attendance, big decisions and announcements, and everything in between. “I keep going back to build the many traits and skills I’ve gained just from being bored after school.” She detailed, “Yes, it may be stressful sometimes and I may be up to late hours doing homework just because I’d spend my entire day inside the school, but I take the bad with the good because the good has never failed and continues to prove itself worth its cons.”

“It’s been really great to spend the last 4 years with this group of seniors,” Mr. Denningham explained proudly. “They really define what it means to be part of Pilgrim drama, sharing their time and their passion, and pouring their hearts into our shows.”

The Pilgrim Players’ performances are on the weekend before Thanksgiving, November 22nd to 24th at 7pm on the Friday and Saturday, and 2pm on the Sunday. Catch these seniors (and the rest of the club) in action in the Pilgrim High School auditorium!