Upper School Fine and Performing Arts Teacher Patrick Huber wondered what this season’s student production would look like. A veteran of the theater scene both locally and nationally, he knew first-hand what effect the pandemic was having on productions of all sizes. What he didn’t doubt was the creativity and motivation of our Upper School students. When he put out a call for original works, cast, and crew, they responded with enthusiasm, forming a team that wrote, acted in, and produced an original piece.
Huber reached out to the entire student body, hoping to recruit beyond the traditional “theater kids” to be part of the artists’ collective. He appealed to English and history teachers to encourage their students who enjoy writing. He exhorted music teachers to promote the opportunity to their student musicians and composers. He even appealed to advisors, writing, “You may have students who have been leaders in conversations about social justice and current events that could make a real contribution to the piece we are writing.”
“Now more than ever, the theater artists among us need opportunities to create together, to make some sense out of our current circumstances, and to share our work with the rest of the community,” said Huber. “We are gathering a collective of playwrights, actors, designers, and technicians to create an original work that takes advantage of the present circumstances to make an audience laugh, cry, and feel empowered.”
The collective worked from three sources for inspiration: a passage from the Old Testament, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn, and the recent disruptions to our lives caused by climate change, social distancing, and social awareness. The text from Kings 1:19 was the first reading at a Catholic service Huber attended in honor of his father, who passed away August 5. “Listening to it as a parable about how we respond to crises that rock our world, I was really moved and inspired,” he said, emphasizing that his intent was not to create a religious work and that perhaps the reading could give shape to their work or the students were free to quickly move on.
The team would also read some of Mr. Burns together. “It is set in an apocalyptic future after the electrical grid has failed globally, and by the third act it’s a poetic cross between an episode of The Simpsons and Greek tragedy,” said Huber. As with the scripture, Huber offered it as inspiration to help form the work but didn’t attach any expectations. “It was helpful for us all to have the structure, images, and language of this play available as we considered the third source: our personal experiences of the last few months, and our hopes and dreams for the next year, which provided the richest material for our piece.”
What resulted was After the Fire, a vibrant collection of vignettes that poignantly capture how today’s students feel about their world and current events. This creative and compelling performance premiered on Friday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m. on YouTube. The MICDS community was encouraged to make a donation to secure “tickets” to the premiere, with funds going to the St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s Theater Sustainment Fund. The fund supports local, small, professional theater companies that have been forced to close because of the pandemic. Donations were encouraged, but not required, to get the password that allowed viewers to watch the premiere on January 22. Their efforts raised $2,350 for the Theater Sustainment Fund!
Allison Pfefferkorn ’23 wrote a scene and acted in another. She said, “After the Fire was so fun to work on. Since parts were filmed separately, it was amazing seeing all of our hard work put together in the end.”
Assistant Head of School Brian Thomas contributed his thespian talents to the production. He said, “I loved, loved, loved working with the MICDS builders and actors and writers and crew and directors and creatives who all pulled together the Upper School play After the Fire. Every single person who worked on the show is fearless, talented, and heart-centered. In my career as a professional actor, I have never worked with a more talented group of humans. If you haven’t seen it, run, don’t walk, to see After the Fire!”
After the Fire is now available for streaming at any time. The feed includes subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French, and there’s a table of contents that allows repeat viewers to jump to their favorite parts (click “more” in the description). Please note that this production is suitable for students age 13 and over.
When the premiere finished, cast and crew gathered on Zoom for a virtual after-party. Head of School Jay Rainey joined to offer his congratulations on a wonderful production.
Several alumni also gathered to watch the premiere, and then connected on Zoom for their own virtual party.
“Early reviews are positive,” reports Mr. Huber.
Well done, cast and crew of After the Fire!