by Meredith M. Griffith
Sounder contributor
The seventh-graders of Spring Street International School have something special up their sleeves this week in Friday Harbor.
Led by history teacher Kate Small, they’re putting on a collaboratively written play called “Tumbleweed People in No Man’s Land.”
Several students from Orcas Island will be acting in the play: Linnea Morris, August Groeninger, Leo Miller and Tashi and Kaj Litch on musical accompaniment. Orcas Island eighth-grader Stormy Hildreth has helped Small with the music, and will also be performing in the play.
“Tumbleweed People in No Man’s Land” will show on June 6 at 6 p.m.; June 7 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.; June 8 at 6 p.m.; and June 9 at 6 p.m. at the San Juan Community Theatre.
Small has a unique way of teaching her students history: each year, she assigns them real-life historical characters and asks them to research and write from that character’s perspective. Then she draws on the students’ writings to create a play for the kids to perform. Last year, Small and her students studied The Trail of Tears together.
“It was a blast to learn about a character from that,” Hildreth told the Sounder.
This year’s play centers on the time of drought during The Great Depression. Each student plays a different character, representing unique perspectives from that time period.
“There are people living in the street, trying to survive on barely any food at all,” Hildreth explained. The characters include white American farmers and Mexican immigrant workers.
Hildreth plays a white American girl named Lucy Ramirez, born and raised in the United States, who is threatened with deportation on the sole basis of her last name – and Hildreth said it was interesting for her to experience a taste of the anger engendered by Ramirez’ situation. The play is interwoven with music, mainly Woody Guthrie songs, while Tashi and Kaj provide musical diversity with their “radio show” performances.
“The kids have put their heart and souls into putting together the play, and Kate has done a marvelous job directing,” said Hildreth. “The kids are talented, and they’re having fun up there… You’ll learn so much about history just from watching it.”
