The Miraculous Journey of the CHS Theatre Program

By Michele Robertson

The many roles we play as we traverse through life tend to be incredible character-building moments. Sometimes those roles are purposely chosen, and sometimes they are brought about due to unexpected circumstances. Enter stage right: Peter Nichols and the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Nichols, a graduating senior at Carlsbad High School, shared insights on their final year in high school theatre, its impact on the students, and how they overcame the challenges presented.

“My favorite thing about the theatre is the bond we all share with each other. We aren’t a class; we are a family,” Nichols said.

“Everyone who comes into that space always says how welcoming and fun it is. Everyone is friends with each other; no one ever sits alone. It’s just the most uplifting and inspiring environment to be in. Everyone is free to share their artistic and truest selves with no shame,” Nichols said.

“This year was probably one of the hardest we’ve had in a long time. We started this school year very strong with two big fundraisers—the Renfaire booth and our enchilada dinner. Both were incredibly fun but hard-working events. Then we had a fantastic show through Guys & Dolls, which was truly a wonder to do the lights for,” Nichols said.

“My theatre teacher approached me with a request regarding our next play, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. She asked if I would put my craft skills together and create some rabbit dolls for the play. And I enthusiastically said ‘YES!’ I started right away. Before we even left for Thanksgiving break, I had a whole prototype created. By the time Christmas break hit, I had fallen in love with this play, and had two rabbits basically done. Each piece was hand-sewn in my spare time. Each face was handmade with clay, and each outfit was hand-sewn,” Nichols said.

“It (January) started off good. I went back to school with a good attitude and was incredibly excited to move forward with Edward Tulane. This was the first show I decided I wanted to act for; all I have ever done before is tech. She sent out the cast list, and I got the second biggest part! Then we started getting ready for the show. She told us she’d be gone for a few days, and we were to practice while she was gone. Then she never came back,” Nichols said.

“A few days later, she would post her goodbye on our Theatre Google Classroom. A long paragraph giving her farewells and telling us to have faith. It was heartbreaking. The theatre class was left broken. We had no idea what was going to happen to us, to our class, our family. I struggled the most with this. I had two rabbits and an entire script that I had loved. This was supposed to be my senior show. So, I got up and got vulnerable with the class. I asked the class if they still wanted to go through with this show. The class said yes. So, I took on the directing role of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” said Nichols.

Nichols reached out to principals asking for help, showing their determination to move forward with the production, “We landed an incredible theatre sub, who has been a tremendous help in our theatre,” Nichols said of Jeremy Laughlin. “He built us a unit set for us to work on, and we got started.

“We are a class of almost 30 kids, and not a single one sat around and did nothing for this show. I put myself out there in front of this group, begging for them to work with me on this show. And they listened and they followed me. It was our passion and hard work that made all of this possible,” Nichols said. “All together, this show was just as magical and storybook-feeling as I saw it being.”

Nichols gave credit to a few students in particular. “I’d like to shout out Camille Martin, who was kind of my assistant director as well as the main character in the play. She put in a lot of work. I’d also like to shout out Kaia Dolan. She is a very wonderful and determined junior. While she wasn’t able to be cast in this show due to scheduling conflicts, her support and guidance helped us get to where we are.”

Nichols also mentioned Riley Barnett, who made most of the props and did most of the work on the patchgrounds in addition to acting as a stage manager for the show. Dallas Loftis was also mentioned for taking on four roles after some students unexpectedly dropped out of the play and working on the beginning theater play, as well.

“The CHS Mummers/Theatre program has struggled a lot in past years. We have had a new teacher just about every year I have been in theatre. Trying to build up our support for our program has been very hard. We have been left behind and forgotten in a lot of ways,” Nichols said.

“But we are still here; we are still putting on shows and creating art. Our creativity, passion, and determination are what have kept this program afloat. I would hope that, reading this article, people are encouraged to attend theatre shows or get involved in theatre themselves, to support the kids and show them that their hard work is worth it. It’s a wonderful program that helped me grow and improve. I wouldn’t trade anything for the experiences and the love I have found in that class,” Nichols said.