NORTHFIELD — A small cast of students directed by a Northfield parent and her high school-age daughter is performing “Because of Mr. Terupt” at Northfield Elementary School this week.
Show times are Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 9:30 a.m. Admission is free.
The story is about a fifth-grade class’ relationship with its new teacher, Mr. Terupt, and how the students’ relationships to one another change when an accident puts their teacher in a coma, explained Deborah Potee, the play’s director. Potee adapted the show from a novel written by Rob Buyea, a former teacher at Northfield Mount Hermon School, with his permission.
The cast of 12 is made up of students from fourth grade to eighth. Potee is co-directing with her daughter, Vivienne, who performed in the same show when she was in sixth grade.
Because the show is about a school, it’s easily relatable for the cast, Potee said. The actors don’t wear costumes, and most aspects of the setting are things they’ve experienced in real life.
“It’s a story that’s not too hard to imagine actually happening,” she said. “It feels very real.”
Rehearsals have been going on for the last two months, twice a week at the library, Potee said. Dress rehearsals were finished this week. The production is sponsored by a grant from the Northfield Cultural Council.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ex 261.