It’s not often you see a stage play run by a group of teenagers, especially a play that deals with depression and suicide. On Thursday, March 20, “Ophelia Lives!,” a one-act play by Gillette Elvgren opened at the Montpelier Performing Arts Hub. 

The director was Montpelier High School senior Anna Blackburn, and the stage manager was MHS junior Natalie Remick. Four of the five cast members were also high school students. Local actor Kianna Bromley played the adult role, that of drama teacher Ms. Peters, who directs a group of students in a production of “Hamlet.” As the play opens and Ms. Peters prepares for her class, she finds an anonymous suicide note. 

The four younger members of the class play the drama students, who have all been assigned roles in “Hamlet.” Maya Kotkes-Cummings plays “Heather” (Ophelia); Hattie Mitchell is “Morgan” (Gertrude, mother of Hamlet); Emmet Stowell is Dennis (Polonius, father of Ophelia); and Aster Figliola is “Antonio” (Hamlet/Laertes). 

Like Ophelia, Heather is troubled and desperate; however, she fights back against the sadness and those who make her feel hopeless. The audience comes to realize it’s the support she receives from her peers that helps her to resist. Unlike Shakespeare’s Ophelia, she doesn’t end her life but finds a new beginning.

Although Thursday, March 20, was the official opening night, it was not the first public performance. On March 19, the entire fifth grade class from Main Street Middle School attended. 

After the show, when the lights came up, Blackburn addressed the group, asking them to share their thoughts. Karen Bruzzese, a clinical psychologist from Washington County Mental Health, was on hand to help facilitate discussion. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, “talking about suicide may reduce rather than increase suicide ideation.” If adults wonder if high school freshmen are too young to approach the topic, know that they’re already dealing with it. A report from Johns Hopkins Medicine states that suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10–24. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recommends parents address suicide prevention as they do other health and safety issues by learning about the factors that put kids at risk and the strategies that can be used to protect them. 

The play had a special meaning for Montpelier resident Janna Clar. She noted, “I came away from this show deeply impressed by the caliber of Anna’s directing … the moving work of all the cast, the stage managing … and seeing more stage magic from the sole adult in the cast, local actor Kianna Bromley.

“… As a clinical social worker dedicated to suicide prevention and reducing the stigma of talking about mental health, I was so grateful that this show was chosen and staged here in Montpelier. Among other things I loved about the show, it really highlights the importance of social connection and not turning away when we see signs of depression and suicidal ideation present.” 

“Ophelia Lives!” was chosen by Blackburn. She had discussed issues dealing with mental health during her freshman health class but she wanted to “keep the conversation going.”

She was also looking for a new challenge. “I had been involved in theater for a while. I was a stage manager as a sophomore … I was involved in social media and marketing for the Hub … (but) I wanted to express creativity. The director has to tell the story … creating a world for the play — the world the audience sees.”

Blackburn was impressed with the way in which the characters in “Ophelia Lives!” “state things directly rather than skirting around them.” 

Kotkes-Cummings agrees.

“The show deeply addresses the issues and explicitly talks about them … I think it’s important not to sugarcoat,” she said, adding that, although she’s been performing since she was eight years old, “It was a new experience to have a director who was my peer. She did a great job of taking charge, and her ideas were very well executed.” Hattie Mitchell, who plays “Morgan,” liked the intimate nature of the Hub theater. “ It’s cool to see the audience looking at you close up.” 

Blackburn pointed to the “realism” in the play. Ms. Peters is not a perfect teacher and her students are … well … teenagers. They’re sullen, sarcastic, at times insightful, and funny.

Not surprisingly, the cast got a standing ovation on opening night.