by Emma Hall and Fiona Shea, Bromfield seventh-graders

Pink ladies Emma Hall, Julia Nelson, and Casey McGrath peform a scene from Grease. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Anna and Kelly Banker directed their first play when they were 12 years old: Grease, performed at the Unitarian Church. From there they went on to do High School Musical, Oliver, Back to the ’80s, and are currently directing Grease for the second time. They have been giving Harvard kids like us a chance in the “spotlight” since they were in seventh grade, and now they are in the ninth grade, directing seventh-graders.

We like doing plays with them because even though we all work hard, we also have a lot of fun. We can see how much Anna and Kelly enjoy making everyone happy—the cast members, the audience, and themselves. Yet they also know the difference between having fun and slacking off. Working with a group of kids close to their age can be hard at times, but Anna and Kelly have built a friendship with each of us, which encourages us to want to learn our lines and lyrics and do our best.

Anna and Kelly’s plays are also a place to meet new friends. Emma recalls that when she was a cast member in Back to the ’80s, most of the cast members were not close friends when rehearsals started. Because of the way that Anna and Kelly taught the cast to support and depend on each other, most became much closer friends—especially during tech week when they worked very hard to put all the pieces together. Cast members were excited because they were preparing to perform the show and also sad because they knew it was almost over. All had grown together and made close friendships.

We all learn something new from every play. The directors have always told us to keep the scene moving even if a cast member forgets lines on stage. They told us it was OK to do a short ad-lib in a situation like this because we all know the play so well. This really paid off in Back to the ’80s when there was a scene where someone forgot lines, but after a reasonable silence, Sophie Aney started up the conversation again, saving the scene. Because Anna and Kelly remind us often that it is “our play,” we feel we can keep the play on track if something unexpected happens.

Another thing we’ve learned is how to connect with our characters. The directors always had us create a walk and talk for our characters. Sometimes, when we were having a hard time, they would have us do an exercise where another character would play the part in a different manner (for example, being very jealous or overly happy) and our character would have to react. This would help us develop our character more deeply and help us create a relationship with our character.

Anna and Kelly Banker have given us fun and practical experiences to learn about performing in plays. Watching them do everything on their own has earned our respect and taught us to believe in ourselves.

Grease will be performed at Littleton High School Friday, March 28, 7 p.m., Saturday, March 29, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 30, at 2 p.m.