Theatre club will write, perform their own play; BC planned as collaborator

By Ji’Myriah B. and Taylor M.

Airport High School and Brookland-Cayce students are working together at AHS to write Brainstorm, a play about how teenage brains function. The play is scheduled to be performed on November 6 and 7, with the first interest meeting held on August 18.

The most important part of this news event is how AHS and BC students are collaborating on the production—one of the first times, if not the very first time, this has happened. Auditions were held on August 18 and 19, and 18 students were selected: nine from AHS and nine from BC.

Students who have taken a theatre class in the past year are especially prepared, since they have gained experience in playwriting and devising. This means they’ve already practiced creating original scenes and plays.

Airport is not the only school with experience in original productions. Brookland-Cayce staged Cracked two years ago, and AHS has also performed student-written plays. However, the collaboration between the two schools is what makes Brainstorm unique.

Ms. White, the theatre teacher at AHS, shared her excitement: “I’m also very excited for Airport and BC students to collaborate on this unique project! There are nine students from each high school in the ensemble who auditioned and were accepted. The play script is all about teenage brains and how that impacts their lives and experiences.”

Me’Kaylah H., a junior at AHS, added that the play will give adults a new perspective on teenagers: “It shows more of our points of view to the world.”

Theatre, which is now a popular art form and hobby, has roots that go back to Ancient Greece. It began with religious rituals and festivals honoring Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry. Over time, the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays were developed. The word “thespian” comes from Thespis, one of the most famous actors of the time. Later, during the 4th century BC, Romans also experienced theatre through performances by Etruscan actors who staged different kinds of plays and musicals.

According to Education Week, approximately 79% of U.S. high schools offer at least one drama course, and nearly 95% provide extracurricular theatre opportunities. AHS is fortunate to be part of this group.

Ms. White will continue to share updates about the production on the AHS Theatre Instagram account. To learn more about Brainstorm and its cast, follow @airport_high_drama on Instagram.