BHS students acting from

the heart

Theater-arts teacher and director James Wilson said he was searching for an “old-fashioned play” when he selected John van Druten’s 1940s classic “I Remember Mama” for Bothell High’s latest production.

“This is a play that has some real heart to it, something that someone of any age could take something away from,” he said.

At the same time, with its 17 different sets, Wilson said the play presented his department and students with some interesting technical challenges and is in that sense, possibly the most ambitious production the high school has tackled to date.

“I Remember Mama” opened Jan. 8 at the Northshore Performing Arts Center on the high-school campus. After the first performance, Wilson said there were a few technical glitches that needed working out, but overall he was pleased with the production.

“The actors are doing really very well,” he said.

During a rehearsal prior to opening, the stage crew still was working out lighting and sound issues, as well as how to handle movement of the two stage turntables. They, along with curtains and screening, were being synchronized to allow the play to progress seamlessly from scene to scene.

According to Wilson and others, the backstage work in preparation for the production began in September.

“Even before opening night, more than 60 of our volunteers will have donated at least 5,000 hours of work,” said the play’s producer, Nancy Santiago.

Wilson said the bad weather that struck in December decidedly slowed down some efforts. A Jan. 6 rehearsal was the first opportunity the play’s student actors actually had to go through their paces on the arts-center stage. Bothell High senior Blair Fraser landed the lead role of Katrin, who is the “I” in the play’s title.

“My role is like a narrator role,” Blair said. “It’s kind of like Jo in ‘Little Women.’”

Blair added that for as long as she can remember, she has enjoyed acting and performing.

“Being somebody else is always a fun thing,” Blair continued. “In drama, you get to do that with every role you play.”

According to Wilson, “Mama” has a long and varied history. The story of a Norwegian immigrant family, the Hansons, set in 1910 San Francisco, the play was adopted from the novel “Momma’s Bank Account” by Kathryn Forbes. Playwright van Druten already was a big name in London before coming to Broadway with “Mama.” The 1944 play was a huge success, incidentally giving a young actor named Marlon Brando one of his first big roles. The show eventually morphed into a 1948 movie and, later still, a live 1950s TV series.

All in all, the Northshore production features 20 student actors and some 14 technical crew members. Bothell High students comprise the cast, except for one 10-year-old brought in to play a younger member of the Hanson clan. Wilson said the production is receiving support from the arts-center crew.

“They even helped with some of the carpentry,” Wilson said of the staff members. He added that’s not unusual, that the involvement of center staffers adds greatly to the production values of the school’s plays.

Bothell High regularly puts on six major productions a year, this season including “Alice in Wonderland,” scheduled for March.

The three remaining performances of “I Remember Mama” are slated for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 and Jan. 17, along with a matinee at 2 p.m. Jan. 17. There are no shows Jan. 16.

The Northshore Performing Arts Center sits at 9130 N.E. 180th St. The box office opens one hour prior to each show. Tickets are available at the door only: $8 for adults, $6 for students with ID.