Little Women by Louisa May Alcott presented by Batavia High School

Batavia High School presents Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, a new stage adaptation of the beloved civil war-era classic. Adapted and directed by Joshua Casburn, this poignant and moving, family-friendly story, which chronicles the joys and sorrows of a headstrong woman and her sisters, will be performed in the Black Box at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre.

Performances are January 28-30th at 7:30 pm with a 2:00 pm matinee on Saturday the 30th.

Tickets are available online at www.BataviaFineArtsCentre.org and at the box office. Tickets prices are for general admission and are $12 online and $14 by phone and at the box office.

This timeless classic by Louisa May Alcott (played as narrator by junior Abby Weiss), about four sisters who learn meaningful lessons through love and pain, stars senior Jamie VandenOever as Jo March, a young woman who hopes to be an author, never wants to get married, and whose strong personality leads to sometimes humorous and sometimes painful results. Jo’s primary love interest, a rich, young boy named Laurie (played by senior Mikkel Knutson), longs to interact with people his own age, so he is very excited when he meets Jo and her sisters, including Meg (sophomore Meghan Tucker), Beth (senior Sarah Heylmun), and Amy (senior Meghan Rocha). These girls each have their own storyline. Meg, whether she will admit it or not, secretly has feelings for a local tutor (senior Billy Bernardoni). Sweet Beth, despite ailing health, loves the piano and develops a friendship with the kindly old neighbor Mr. Laurence (senior John Hohman). Amy, the youngest of the group, is the most prim and proper of all of them and has aspirations to travel the world, marry well, and be a respectable lady. But will her own temper get in the way?

The March family once had money, but has become suddenly poor, making marriage options for the girls extremely important, even though their mother Marmee (junior Tori McKeehan) wants them to be happy rather than wealthy. To make matters worse, the father of the family, Mr. March (freshman Josh Tharp) has left to fight in the civil war. Thus, Marmee and the girls are left to fend for themselves. But exposure to an ensemble of characters, some in even more desperate need than they are, teaches them one of the most important lessons in life: how to give and receive with dignity. This ensemble includes wealthy judgmental Aunt March and Aunt Carrol (played by senior Elsa Bauerdick and sophomore Lauren Burnham respectively). It also includes senior Joe Guritz, junior Tekla Mach, and sophomores Erika Knutson, Max Micheli, Mary Clare Perrault, Emily T. Smith, Natalie Sweeney and Kate Domeier.

Jo’s love life becomes more complicated when she moves to New York and meets a German scholar named Friedrich Bhaer (junior Cam Tucker). The two have a blossoming friendship, which makes her decision between him and her lifelong friend Laurie a difficult one. Does an independent woman like Jo have feelings for either of them? Meanwhile, Jo’s literary career is nearly stifled by an editor (freshman Kevin Sliczniak) and encouraged by her landlady and employer Mrs. Kirke (senior Emily Streit). The tension builds, tragedy strikes, and the girls must find a way to appreciate their experiences and endure.

Through love, joy, disappointment, heartbreak, and immense sorrow, the March family members rely on each other and learn to be grateful for their lot, both good and bad. So many of the life lessons the March girls learn can be valuable for the whole family. As we compare the lifestyle of civil war era New England with that of our own, the universal themes of Little Women remind us that there are some values slowly being lost, since the sacrifice for family expected in their society seems so rare in ours.

Another rarity is the chance to adapt a script from a novel, and Batavia High School drama, led by director Joshua Casburn, is excited about the task. “We needed to find the right script for this talented group of actors,” he said, “and though there are many good versions of this wonderful book, we jumped at the chance to create our own so that it fit our program and its mission to continue to give students new experiences.” Casburn co-wrote this version with his wife, Heidi. “‘Workshopping’ is the term that theatre professionals use for the process of refining a newly written play, including an adaptation,” said Casburn, “and I’m very pleased that the students will have the chance to recreate a classic from scratch, an opportunity to have a voice that is heard by the writer and the audience. It could change their lives.”