Sister story

QUINCY — One of the most beloved families in American literature will take the stage at Quincy High School. 

“Little Women,” a stage adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, will be performed at the QHS Performing Arts Center Friday and Saturday, and again Nov. 7-9. The script is a little different from the original novel, said drama teacher and director Haliey Weber. 

“The playwright … wanted to keep the heart of the traditional novel, but it's more looking at these women and seeing that they all have a dream of some kind and that that is still true today,” Weber said Friday. 

The sisters are well known to generations of American readers: Meg (Michaela Greely), the eldest, who tries to keep the other girls in line; Jo (Belle Rollins), who rejects society’s demands of women in favor of writing novels and plays; Beth (Gabriela Vidrio), the peacemaker whose sweet nature defuses conflicts; and Amy (Caia Williams), the spoiled baby of the family. Other characters include the girls’ mother Marmee, who is raising her daughters as best she can in reduced financial circumstances, and their wealthy and strict Aunt March. 

“Even in the very early stages, (Assistant Director) Elyse (Goslin) and I would just look at each other and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, they're amazing,” Weber said. “It's definitely the right students in the right place for the right role. And I can really see this tale coming to life.” 

Weber said she had the actors go beyond the script itself and delve into the 1860s and the lives actual women led during those times. 

“When we first start rehearsals, we really talk about differences between now and then,” she said.  “They research the historical period; they research their characters and I give them some questions to answer about their character that they have to look up and research. And so they really start to get to know their characters.” 

“(Meg) is very focused on trying to be a lady,” Greely said. “She's very caring towards her younger siblings. She loves them to death.” 

Greely is the oldest of six children, she said, so the role of big sister is nothing new to her. Like many eldest siblings, Meg does lose her temper a couple of times, Greely said. She had expected to marry a wealthy man but falls in love with a mere bookkeeper. 

“It's a little bit of a battle for her, choosing between love or her dream of always marrying richer,” Greely said. “Part of that dream was to help her family, and part of that was just (the assumption) she was raised with.” 

“Jo doesn’t like being a woman,” Rollins said. “She wants to go and be a writer and change the world, but being a woman, she can’t. She doesn’t always exactly blend in. Her family chastises her a lot for that.” 

Besides the characters, the historical background has presented a challenge for the actors, both in the costumes and the way women were expected to behave.

“The mannerisms are a lot different than I thought they would be,” Williams said. “I didn't realize how drastic the differences were. Like you're not allowed to cross your legs, you have to cross your ankles instead. It's kind of hard to get used to it.” 

“We train in the corsets,” Greely said. “We’ve had them for a bit and we’ve slowly got them down to fitting. We practice in them for an hour a day to get our bodies used to them so they’re not painful during the actual performances.” 

The set has been a learning experience for the crew, Goslin said.  

“It's our first time building a house on the stage, so that's been a whole new challenge for our tech crew,” she said. “We have students learning how to sew, how to build things, and it's been a really great educational experience for everyone.” 

The attention to detail includes hand-painted wallpaper, which Kaylee Wise was painting Friday. 

“I searched up wallpapers from the time, and there's a lot of intricate flowers and stuff,” Wise said. “And I searched up color palettes so it would match the rest of the colors that we're using, and I just put it all together. I'm freestyling it, which is not something everyone can do.” 

Wise also has sewed some of the costumes, she said, and will be running the lights for the performances as well. 

So far, the March sisters have been the subject of at least seven movies, numerous TV adaptations, two musicals and two operas, as well as three stage adaptations besides the one QHS will present. Even in a timeless story, however, audiences will find something new. 

“We have so many strong females that we were glad to have a play to really be able to highlight so many of them,” Goslin said. “It's been really cool to see their growth through this and just really see them all shine.” 

“(One) reason I picked it was because of how they use the character of Beth,” Weber said, carefully not giving spoilers. “I've never seen (it) before, and it's a really beautiful way that she is utilized … it's definitely going to make people feel something, whether they cry (or not).” 

Cast 

Marmee March: Emma Galloway
Aunt March: Odessa Lybbert
Meg March: Michaela Greely
Jo March: Belle Rollins
Beth March: Gabriela Vidrio
Amy March: Caia Williams
Hannah: Vinn Martinez
Mrs. Mingott: Julianna Lambert
Messenger: Amberlynn Godfrey
Theodore “Laurie” Laurence: Carter Yeates
John Brooks: Keegan Hankins
Mr. Laurence: Jarrod Miller
Robert March/Doctor: Juan Ferreyra
Mr. Dashwood: Jasmine Vazquez Navarro
Parrot: Anjel Johnson 

Crew 

Lighting Design: Ken Sinko
Sound Design: Ty Christensen
Stage Manager: Valeria Valladolid Solis
Lightboard Operator: Kaylee Wise
Technical Crew: Ailene Sprague, Ashley Camacho, Amberlynn Godfrey, Anjel Johnson, Eliseo Fraile, Elizabella Perez, Emily Card, Fernando Vidrio, Jarrod Miller, Jasmine Vazquez Navarro, Julianna Lambert, Odessa Lybbert, Yenny Galicia 

Production Staff 

Director: Hailey M. Weber
Assistant Director/Choreography: Elyse Goslin
Technical Director: Bryce Goslin
Shop Assistant: Warren Lybbert
Assistant to the Directors: JazzLynn Padron
Costumers: Cassi Nelson, Charlotte Hernandez, Susan Lybbert, Stephanie Wise, Tanya Rollins
Poster Design/Headshots/Music Advisor: Kylie Youngren
Program Design: Warren Lybbert 

    Meg (Michaela Greely), left, is a little nonplussed by her sister Jo’s (Belle Rollins) lack of ladylike posture in the Quincy High School performance of “Little Women.”
  

    Amberlynn Godfrey, left, and Anjel Johnson demonstrate a dance they’ll be doing in a scene of the Quincy High School production of “Little Women.”
  

    The Quincy High School production of “Little Women” includes a detailed set, including a kitchen with hand-painted wallpaper.