Evergreen, Skyview theater productions tackle difficult material

Theater can be deeply serious business. That’s why it’s best left up to children. This weekend, a couple of high school performances will highlight just how dramatic young actors can get.

“I really enjoy working with students on difficult material,” said drama coach Phil Denton of Skyview High School. “It seems to really bring them alive. They get excited. They learn so much. The more difficult the material, the better they seem to do.”

Take Skyview’s current production of “The Lion In Winter.” The subject matter may seem deadly dry at first: Deep English history. Kings and conquests. Power politics and royal lineage. The sort of stuff that inspires yawns in history class.

But that’s why theater is so vital, Denton said: It takes historical stick figures and makes them real. It takes young actors and challenges them to stretch in ways they never tried before. “You’re playing people who actually lived,” Denton urged his students. “Read up and play the part. Think about the conflict. Think about how it felt.”

For example, there’s a scene when three young princes are trapped in a dungeon and fearing the worst. “What would that actually be like?” Denton demanded of his students. “These are things young people probably haven’t thought too much about — death, repentance, justice, war.”

It’s new and exciting territory for them, Denton said, and so their portrayals are as fresh and original as anything you’ll see on stage. Plus, he said, kids who do theater are getting an education in imagination and compassion.

“What’s it like to be another person? That’s what you’re always asking yourself,” he said. “I think it makes them better people.”

Eyewitness

The subject matter is even darker and more difficult over at Evergreen High School, where director Stephanie McCrea has been moving in an edgy direction for years. She’s guided her students through “The Outsiders,” a classic about teen alienation and gangs; “Brave New World,” a provocative science fiction story about a materialistic, hedonistic future; and “Macbeth,” one of Shakespeare’s most brutal tragedies.

All that has now culminated in “The Investigation,” a dramatic reconstruction of war crimes trials that were held in Frankfurt, Germany, in the mid-1960s. This was the second round of Nazi war crimes trials, involving 22 former officials of the Auschwitz concentration camps. Dramatist Peter Weiss was an eyewitness to those trials, and his script was adapted directly from the testimony spoken there.

All of which “totally ignited my creative juices,” McCrea said. She enlisted a retired teacher of both history and psychology to come in and run some preparatory workshops with the cast — to consider, among other things, how Nazi soldiers and officials were “conditioned and brainwashed” to commit the most horrific of atrocities.

“We had a lot of interesting psychological discussions,” said McCrea. “There definitely were tears and anger on the part of some of the students. It was intense.” The boys who played the Nazi defendants in particular “went through a pretty big struggle” to understand and realistically portray that mindset, she said.

When “The Investigation” opened last weekend, McCrea said, she was on high alert for teasing or disrespectful behavior — “but you could have heard a pin drop in that auditorium,” she said, and she didn’t even have to crack down on cellphones as usual. “That was my first indication that we really have hit the goal here — the goal of living history,” she said.

McCrae acknowledged that a play billed as “a chastening and purging documentary of deeply moving power” won’t pull in theatergoers looking for Friday night fun. But she’s been encouraged to hear from church groups interested in seeing “where intolerance can take us,” she said.

“It’s a huge risk, but I have to take it,” she said. “Do I choose a show to fill seats or do I choose a show as a teacher? I need to be a teacher every time.”

DRAMA ON STAGE

o “The Lion in Winter” presented by Skyview High School. Christmas 1183 becomes a battle of wits as King Henry II of England hopes to pick one of his three sons as his successor, but his scheming wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and crafty King Philip of France have ideas of their own. 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15. Skyview High School, 1300 N.W. 139th St., Vancouver; $5, $4 for students. 360-313-4200 or Skyview’s website.

o “The Investigation” presented by Evergreen High School. A dramatic re-enactment of the Frankfurt War Crimes trials, which charged 22 defendants for their roles in Auschwitz concentration camp. 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15. Recommend for ages 13 and older. Evergreen High School, 14300 N.E. 18th St., Vancouver; $8, $5 for students and seniors. See Evergreen Drama’s website.

THE LIGHTER SIDE

If English history and Nazi war crimes don’t float your boat, there’s plenty more student theater — historical and contemporary, serious and fun — to see in Clark County this weekend and beyond. Here’s a quick roundup.

o “Grease” presented by Washougal High School. Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fall in love over the summer, but everything changes when they return to high school. 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and 21-22; 1 p.m. Nov. 22. Washburn Auditorium, 1201 39th St., Washougal; $10, $8 for students and seniors. 360-954-3100 or tickets website.

o “Little Women” presented by Vancouver School of Arts and Academics. The four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — navigate the complexities of growing up. 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 21-22 at the Durst Theater, 3101 Main St., Vancouver; $5, $4 for students and seniors. 360-313-4600 or the school’s website.

o “Much Ado About Nothing” presented by Fort Vancouver High School. It’s an evening of “Cakespeare,” a dessert theatre production of the Bard’s classic comedy, with Benedick and Beatrice tricked into confessing their love. 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15, McLoughlin Middle School Auditorium, 5802 MacArthur Blvd., Vancouver; $10. 360-313-4000 or Fort Vancouver High School’s website.

o “The Outsiders” presented by Battle Ground High School Drama Club. Ponyboy, a young Greaser, is caught up in a territorial battle against the rich kids, known as the Socs. 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and 20-22. Battle Ground High School, 300 W. Main St., Battle Ground; $10, $5 for students and seniors. 360-885-6500 or Battle Ground High School’s website.

o “Wind in the Willows” presented by Woodland High School. When Mr. Toad’s fascination for driving fast cars lands him in trouble, his friends Badger, Rat and Mole try to help him see the errors of his ways. 7 p.m. Nov. 20-22. Woodland High School, 757 Park St., Woodland; $6, $5 for seniors, $2 for students. 360-841-2800.

o “Annie Jr.” presented by Journey Theater Arts Group. When spunky Annie escapes Miss Hannigan’s orphanage, her path crosses that of billionaire bachelor Daddy Warbucks. 7 p.m. Nov. 14-15; 2 p.m. Nov. 16. Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E. 18th St., Vancouver; $12 to $15; $10 to $13 for youth and seniors. 360-750-8550 or the Journey Theater website.

o “The Night of the Iguana” presented by Clark College Theatre. This Tennessee Williams classic is set in a run-down Mexican hotel where a neurotic ex-minister, a sensual widow and a strong young woman struggle with loneliness and despair. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15 and 20-22; 2 p.m. Nov. 15. Decker Theatre, Clark College, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver; $13, $11 for seniors, $9 for students and alumni. 360-992-2815 or Clark College Theatre’s website.

o “Bye Bye Birdie!” presented by Metropolitan Performing Arts. Conrad Birdie is a rock star at the top of the charts, but when he’s drafted by the Army, his manager hatches a publicity stunt: a goodbye kiss for one lucky fan, seen across the world. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15; 2 p.m. Nov. 15-16. Winningstad Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland; $21.50, $18 for seniors and ages 12 and younger. 800-273-1530 or the organization’s website.

o Fall Festival of Shakespeare. A collaboration between Portland Playhouse and area high schools to bring student Shakespeare to the big stage. It’s a Saturday afternoon doubleheader, with Fort Vancouver High School performing “Much Ado About Nothing” and Ridgefield High School following with “Macbeth. ” 3 p.m. Nov. 22. Winningstad Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland; $15. 503-488-5822 or Portland Playhouse’s website.