For the month of January, a carload or two of Franklin Theater alumni and community performers drove to the Flying Monkey in Plymouth to participate in an original musical theater comedy production of “The Show Must Go On”! This project is an Educational Theater Collaborative (ETC) production that is in its 30th year in association with Plymouth University and the Common Man Restaurants.
When Jule Finley began her graduate work at Plymouth in Arts Integration, she connected with Dr. Trish Lindberg who introduced her to ETC and now has passed the program on to her as she retires from PSU this year. But that is not the only connection. In 1997, FHS Theater alumni Michael David Stoddard attended PSU and met Dr. Lindberg who mentored him through his theater work and Masters program. Michael has spent the last twenty-five years in New York, Milwaukee, Chicago and Miami as an actor, director and playwright. Last spring, his show “Paradise” won Best Production and Best Director at the New York Theatre Festival. Michael wrote the original musical that was performed Jan. 22- 26 at the Flying Monkey.
But those are not the only Franklin connections. Cameron Moquin (2019) and Addison Granger (2018) were both hired to be assistant choreographers for this musical extravaganza and also both performed in numerous musical numbers. Cam and Addie both earned minors in dance while in college. Elizabeth Beveridge (2017) also performed in the production as a dancer, and Saige Granger (2011) performed as Robin Marcotte. Saige earned her BA in Technical Theater and has performed as a TIGER Actor. She currently runs theater programs at Lebanon Elementary School and Newfound High School. Current senior, Zoe Nagle, joined the cast with just one week to opening to fill a role that became vacant. Her voice soared on the stage and mesmerized the audience!
On top of that, Asher Clark, who played the lead role in the production is no stranger to Franklin stages. Graduating from Belmont High School, there was no program when he was a student, so he often came to do shows in Franklin and still continues to perform in the community productions. He even joined the students during School of Rock, playing Dewey and inspiring students to continue performing. Franklin has also attracted numerous other Plymouth performers who have started to participate in our productions. There is an attraction from all over NH for people to come and perform in our shows and it continues despite having to bounce from location to location.
Theater is about more than becoming a Broadway star. Theater is important because it helps students develop a wide range of skills including critical thinking, creativity, communication, empathy, collaboration, self-confidence, and cultural awareness, all while fostering personal growth by allowing them to explore different perspectives and express themselves through performance; essentially, it provides a valuable educational tool that goes beyond academics to enhance personal and social development. This past month proved that and we are proud of our students now, those past and those yet to come! The skills they learn on stage and the confidence they grow, will benefit them for their lifetime and to those they impact along the way.
Congratulations to all!
