BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Did you know Cinderella has a twin brother?
The Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Drama club will tell the story of Cinderella and her twin brother, Bob, during this weekend’s performances of “Twinderella.”
Under the direction of seventh-grade English teacher Brittany Immormino, more than 100 students are participating in this year’s production.
“So far it’s been great,” she said. “The kids that had me last year know that I really try to encourage their independence in bringing in their own creativity and their own ideas.”
The hour-long, five act play has more than 30 sixth- through eighth-grade students cast in comical roles that bring well-known characters such as the Fairy Godmother to life and introduce new characters such as the Godfather.
“Comedies are always in a middle schoolers’ wheelhouse because that leads to their nature and abilities anyway,” Immormino said.
Immormino has also given set, lighting and sound crews freedom to express themselves and responsibility in changing between acts.
Her belief is that the junior high program is preparing actors and crew members for the roles they might be cast in at the high school level.
“I feel like a lot of my work here is just supporting the skills that they will need at the high school; teaching them stage makeup, this is how you make reading the cues,” she said.
Sixth-grade members come into the program needing a lot of instruction while the older students continue to perfect their foundation of basics through repetition.
“We are really blessed as a small school to have so many sixth-graders that I can cast,” Immormino said. “They take direction really well.”
But seeing the students grow from year-to-year is something that Immormino really looks forward to.
“At auditions, there were kids that I was so impressed with how much being a part of the play last year helped them grow, and to see them separately for a new production is exciting,” she said.
“That’s one of my favorite parts of teaching, watching their tangible growth.”
Providing fun, creativity and a balance between commitment to the play, school work and just being a kid, students feel like the drama program at the junior high is something they want to be a part of.
“They enjoy being a part of drama because it gives them a place to belong, a way to express themselves or that they are a part of something,” she said.
“At the end of the day, that’s what I want. Middle school is already difficult; you’re already feeling like a square peg in a round hole. If you can find a place that makes you feel welcome and safe and have fun and make new friends, that’s ultimately my goal.
“They get to show off the things that they know and their talents, and that’s really awesome to see them blossom.”
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High’s production of “Twinderella” can be seen on Friday at 6:30 p.m. or Saturday at 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at the door.
