They’re not three witches. But they have stirred up something scarily fascinating in their literary cauldron. Take a look next weekend, if you dare.
Ava Cozzetto, Kali Pohle and Ariel Vincent, all graduating seniors at Hockinson High School, decided last summer that their collective senior project would be an original play that mashes together and updates some major literary influences. After tossing around many ideas, the trio settled on a blend of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” and famous fairy tales by the Grimm brothers.
In “Bent,” the play that resulted, Hansel and Gretel are on their legendary journey through the woods when they meet three mysterious blind women who convince them to murder their estranged father and take over his business. No sooner is the dastardly deed done, of course, than tensions rise and tempers flare between Hansel and Gretel — or are they Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?
“The plotline is all Macbeth but we mixed in all these fairy tale characters,” said Vincent. “We also put it in modern times, just to mess with it a little bit more.”
What they didn’t mess with, though, are the dark themes that “Macbeth” shares with many fairy tales: greed and ambition, rivalry and morality, succumbing to temptation and suffering the consequences.
“The main theme we’re going for is, how far would you go for power, for success?” said Pohle.
“We hope it’s something you’ll keep thinking about after you go home,” added Vincent. “It’s a serious show.”
The writing was a pretty serious process too, the authors said. They worked on the script from August through November, Cozzetto said, throwing out a lot of silly ideas along the way and also sometimes needing to reconcile — or sacrifice — good ideas that were heading in different directions. “We would rewrite scenes and characters over and over again,” said Pohle. “We had a lot of fun, but we don’t always agree on everything.”
The play was finished when they realized they didn’t have a title. The trio found themselves reviewing their favorite book and play names and considering: What makes a good title, anyway? “That was one of the hardest things,” said Cozzetto.
They settled on “Bent: A Story of Shattered Life and Sibling Strife.” And all the labor started paying off as the playwrights became directors.
“There was a moment during auditions when we watched our classmates do a scene that we wrote,” said Vincent, and everybody in the room was wowed.
“We looked at each other like, ‘We did this. What we wrote is coming to life,’ ” she said. “What a cool experience for us.”
“Bent: A Story of Shattered Life and Sibling Strife” hits the stage Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 22, 23 and 24, at Hockinson High School, 16819 N.E. 159th St. in Hockinson. Performances are at 7 p.m., plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Jan. 24. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students with ID.
Call 360-448-6450 for more information.
Please note: Due to the subject matter and dark feel of the show, “Bent” might not be suitable for some younger viewers.
Bits ‘n’ Pieces appears Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a story you’d like to share, email bits@columbian.com.
