The PVHS Drama Department has put on six shows this school year. Many of their shows impact their audience and have them leaving thinking about the message the cast was trying to portray. One play in specific gave people more insight about autism.
Senior Grace Almgren has been a part of the Drama Department since freshman year. She has worked with the costume crew, costume head, acted in many shows and has been the assistant director for two shows and is slated to direct one in the future.
Almgren was given the opportunity to apply for a director’s position, but she had to pitch a show. Within that process, she chose to direct “The Other Room.” William Myatt, Drama Director, gave her the one act show slot.
She was ecstatic to be chosen as a director for the 2019-2020 school year and could not wait to put on “The Other Room.” “This show is so important to me. It is a production that teaches compassion and educates about autism,” Almgren said. “It puts you inside the head of someone who sees the world differently, showing the causes behind actions and responses.”
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.
“The Other Room” was originally written as a short story, but was eventually made into a film and short play. The narrative focuses on a young boy in high school, living with autism. There are four other characters in the narrative that represent the struggles of autism inside the young boy’s head.
Half of the cast for the show has someone in their lives who lives with autism, which is beneficial to portraying what it is actually like to live with someone with this disorder.
According to Francis Dunbar, a drama teacher at Pleasant Valley, “The Other Room” consisted of two high school students on stage right and four on stage left. The two high school students on stage right are the characters living with autism, and the four characters on stage left represented all of the struggles going on inside the high school students’ heads.
The show was originally going to be performed only at speech competitions, but that was changed when Almgren realized there was something special about it. “This production had the power to impact the entire student body,” she said. “I worked to get another performance opportunity that was accessible for the student body. As you can see, my efforts paid off and I could not be more excited.”
On Feb. 4, Almgren and her cast put on the 20-minute short play for anyone in the school who was able to attend. The show was a success and was also a practice run for the State Large Group Speech competition.
That competition was held on Feb. 8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The student team received three Division 1 ratings on their performance.
The cast worked diligently to put this show together and Almgren thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. “I met some amazing people and grew closer with the entire cast,” she said. “Every rehearsal was an incredible learning experience. I grew so much as a person and a leader throughout this process.”
“The Other Room” has not only been a huge success and a proud moment for the theater department, but has opened more eyes and given people more knowledge about what living with autism is really like.
