It's pretty intense, Paige Mader admitted.
When the Howe Sound Secondary School theatre class picked up the script for Dog Sees God, it came with controversy. The story delves into the complicated lives of the popular comic strip characters - Peanuts - as they wade through the teen years.
"There is strong language and really strong themes," Mader said, noting the play deals with suicide, eating disorders and homophobia. "Our class got really close."
Having read the play, one of the first things the students did was anonymously write down issues in the story that they've dealt with. It was eye-opening, Mader said.
In the first week of May, the class is taking the production to the provincial stage. The students are headed for the Sears Drama Festival in Vancouver. It's a large step, Mader said. This school year the class has already picked up a win at the North Shore Drama Festival.
"This one is big," Mader reiterated.
Mader is also up for a script award. Her two-person play Etta is entered in the ABCDE Youth Writing competition. Mader and her cast will perform a portion of the play before judges at the provincial festival.
On Wednesday (April 10) at 7 p.m. at the Eagle Eye Theatre, the drama class is staging a variety show to raise money for the drama festival. Attending the weekend event will cost approximately $250 per student, a cost the students hope to reduce through fundraising, Mader said.
The HSSS cooking class will prepare a meal to go with the fundraising event. The show will consist of small performances and music, Mader added.
Being a part of Dog Sees God and writing her own play has been an amazing and challenging experience, Mader said, adding that members of the drama class have poured themselves into the productions.
"I think people would be surprised at how much effort we put in it," Mader said.
