LHS drama students' new play was written by someone they know well, their teacher

LACONIA — "Letters From My Father," the next play to be produced by Laconia High School Theatre Arts, tells the story of an adult woman who is at a crisis in her life, both personally and professionally, when she loses her father to Alzheimer's. It's a drama that poses unusually challenging emotional themes for the actors, who have had a steady diet of comedies and musicals for the past two years.

Director Bernie Campbell hopes the show is a success, partly because he's the play's author.

"Letters From My Father" will be produced Nov. 8, 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. each night. Rehearsals have been underway for more than a month, and Campbell said the experience has been both "exhilerating and terrifying."

"It's exhilerating to watch it come to life," he said.

Laconia students have produced two of his one-act plays before, but this will be the first time he's seen a full-length play of his own creation brought to the stage. "The kids are the real stars, it's really fun to see them take characters I wrote and bring them to life," he said.

"It's also terrifying. What if no one likes it, what if it fails? I'll feel like I've let the kids down by giving them a bum script."

In the play, "Maggie," played by junior Brittney Pond, returns home for the funeral of her father, played in flashbacks by senior Josh Rawson. With help from a childhood friend, played by sophomore Reese Miles, "Maggie" discovers a box of letters, addressed to her, that her father had written. Also featured in the cast are freshman Iisa Humphries, junior Dennis Zecevic, junior John Hammond, senior Gwen Huot, freshman Taylor Gagne and junior Zina LaBrie.

As Campbell explained, the germ for "Letters" began several years ago, as a four-paragraph response to a writing prompt sent to him by a friend. He's been developing the concept over the years, and finally found the right time to bring it to stage.

About the father in the play, he said, "How does someone who's losing their memory convey things that they want to be remembered? They write it down." And the daughter, "Maggie," "She's lost her anchor and she's looking, she's seeking. She finds answers in the letters, and in 'David'."

Despite the weight of the subject matter, Campbell said the play has its lighter moments and ends on an uplifting note. He's found the play to be an opportunity for his actors to show their breadth of talent, that they can breathe life to a drama as well as a musical or comedy.

"I can't say enough about the kids, they're working really hard," said Campbell. Many of the actors are able to relate to the subject matter due to events in their personal lives, said Campbell, and they bring an emotional charge to their characters. "That really gives a punch to their performance."

How does he think the production is developing? "I'm pleased, I'm cautiously optimistic. I'll panic next week."

Tickets for the performance, which will be sold at the door, cost $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Campbell advised audience members to arrive a few minutes early, as the construction project at the high school has complicated parking. "It's our biggest worry that people will stay away because of the lack of parking. Please don't. Just plan for some extra time to find a space," said Campbell.