Aiden Hoyt, left, Pearl Smith and Allison Vogan, members of the set crew. Photo by Jen Lipsey Edwards
The Franklin School of Innovation (FSI), in Asheville, presents two plays in November. On Friday, November 4, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, November 5, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., the FSI middle school drama club presents the fractured and farcical fairytale Haphazardly Ever After.
“I chose this show because it is hilarious, fast-paced, and allows students to develop fun and funny characters while connecting with other characters onstage,” says FSI middle school theatre arts teacher and drama club director Chris Martin. “I also chose it because it has music in it, with multiple characters singing short songs.”
Haphazardly Ever After tells the story of a kind king and queen whose four bratty adult children do not live up to their royal titles. In an effort to bring happiness and harmony to their family, they hire a royal therapist, bring in royal teachers and even attempt to marry off their children, all to no avail. Finally, they call upon the fairy godmother to help. However, after learning the outrageous cost of hiring her (let alone the permits required), they decide to create a do-it-yourself magic spell with the help of supplies purchased at The Enchanted Depot. Though nothing goes as planned, everyone is changed by their experiences, and through a series of haphazard events, the royal family just might live happily ever after.
Performances are held on the grass outside FSI’s O’Keeffe Room 22. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Guests may bring blankets or chairs to sit on. Concessions will be for sale.
On Friday, November 18, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, November 19 at 2 p.m., FSI high school drama students will perform Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? in Tina McGuire Theatre at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. The mystery drama written by Katherine Vondy is anchored in a true story about the body of a woman found in a tree trunk in England in the 1940s. The play presents theories about who she was and how she died while also highlighting the issue of how individual identity is suppressed, shattered and stolen.
“The play’s creative representation of how individual identity is lost to the world through misuse and abuse of power feels like a critical problem that runs through equity, social justice and human rights issues we are plagued with decade after decade,” says FSI high school theatre director Julia Wharton. “The FSI community is very much attuned to inequity and bias around race, gender identity, sexual orientation and more, and I knew the story, the characters and the theme of the play would appeal.”
Wharton and her students are collaborating with Vondy, who is located in California, throughout the process via virtual meetings. This partnership gives the cast and crew a deeper sense of how the work of playwrights, directors, actors and designers overlap.
“It’s rare for student actors and designers to get to interact with the playwright and have a chance to impact changes to the script,” says Wharton. “It is really fun and interesting to hear her responses to our questions and ideas.”
Tickets will be available through the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts box office. For more information, contact Julia Wharton at jwharton@thefsi.us.
Franklin School of Innovation is located at 21 Innovation Drive, in Asheville. Learn more at FranklinSchoolofInnovation.org.
