GREENFIELD — Follow the story of a Greenfield teen’s search for relatives after finding a letter from a long-lost dad through Piti Theatre Co.’s performance of “Finding Family.”
The show, written by teens in the Valley Playwright Mentoring program, will be performed at Greenfield Middle School on Sunday, June 7, at 1 p.m. Tickets are free and can be reserved in advance at ptco.org.
Director Jonathan Mirin said the teens participating in the Valley Playwright Mentoring program have been working since November to develop the show. It was written largely through improvisational and character-building exercises, where the cast and crew played around with different ideas while they discovered the story they wanted to tell.
“The story is of a Greenfield teen, Billy, who is being raised by a single mom and is struggling in school, and he discovers a letter from his dad, who left when he was younger, and he sets out to find him,” Mirin said. “He proceeds to track him down in New York City and basically runs away. He meets some wacky people, and his mom is hot on his trail.”
Mirin said the cast developed a bunch of “quirky characters” to test their skills and have fun with new ideas.
“A lot of the scenes are opportunities for the kids to do character work and play with these eccentric New York characters,” Mirin said. “A lot of the actual dialogue comes out of their improvisations.”
Rosie Isupov, a sophomore at The Academy at Charlemont, is playing a few roles in the show, including a police officer and one of Billy’s not-so-nice friends. She said the Valley Playwright Mentoring program is different from other theater troupes because, rather than choosing an existing script, the cast is taught how to turn their life experiences into one.
“I’ve done theater before, but this is different because we start by just talking about our days,” Isupov said. “It was a really cool experience. … Since we write our own parts, it’s just really funny to see how it changes over time.”
Emma Horton-Woods, a recent graduate of Four Rivers Charter Public School, plays Billy’s mother. She said that as a teenager herself, it felt funny to play the mom of a teenager, but she’s been enjoying the role.
“I didn’t go into it with any sort of expectation; I just enjoy trying out different characters and I was excited to have more screentime than I have in the past. It’s been funny to assume the role, but I enjoy it. It’s a good challenge, a good way to stretch myself,” said Horton-Woods, who has been involved with Valley Playwright Mentoring for four years. “I definitely have to check myself and my mannerisms and evaluate if it feels motherly.”
She said her favorite part of the show is the ending when the mother and son reunite.
“The main characters meet each other again at the end, and it just wraps up in a really nice moment,” Horton-Woods said.
Horton-Woods added that the show covers heavier topics such as belonging, mental health and family dynamics, but also weaves in a lot humor as well.
“There’s a really nice balance of laughter, but also this piece of truth to it,” Horton-Woods said. “I feel like people can relate to it.”
“It takes itself more seriously than I think it should,” added Ren Waggenbeek, stage manager and another recent Four Rivers Charter Public School graduate. “It comes off more funny than serious.”
Waggenbeek said everyone has worked hard for the past six months and the cast will put on a strong performance.
“It’s not going to be completely perfect, but it’s going to be something, and the people have been working very hard, and that’s going to be shown by the quality of acting we have and the skill,” Waggenbeek said. “The whole program is pretty great. For kids to come together and improvise stuff, build their acting and writing skills, everyone’s learning to work hard to make it happen, so to me, it’s gonna be great.”
