Carroll students prepare for own production of canceled school play

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - Excitement is just one of the many emotions students in the drama department at Carroll High School have felt these past few months.

RELATED: Play at Carroll High School featuring same-sex relationships canceled, angers students and activists

Back in February, their play, Marian: The True Tale of Robin Hood, was canceled by the district after backlash about the play featuring same-sex relationships.

However, that decision hasn’t kept these students down. They’ve decided the show must go on and that’s what they’re doing later this month.

“It’s up to us to use our own voices and it’s not up to somebody else to tell us how to do that,” Tristan Wasserman said.

Wasserman is the assistant stage manager. He says the support they’ve received is overwhelming and it’s made the difficult process much easier.

“We’ve had a lot of support and I’m just so happy that we’ve gotten all of the support that we’ve got,” Wasserman said. “It just makes it kind of feel like we’re not alone in this and I’m just really happy to see it go forward.”

Tristan is right in saying they’re not alone.

The GoFundMe for the play, created less than a week ago, has already raised over $77,000 and county, along with plenty of encouraging comments.

Wasserman is in awe of the support.

“It’s just so crazy to know we’ve reached that far, because we’re in Fort Wayne, Indiana and people all across the country know the name of Carroll High School now, and Marian,” Wasserman said.

The cast has only had a few weeks of rehearsal, far less time than normal. For those behind the scenes, they’re just trying to take it all in.

“I don’t know how they do it, it is awe-inspiring,” Stella Brewer-Vartanian said. “They are very hard workers, they are very determined to do what they want to do, and their just really talented.”

Brewer-Vartanian is a Senior at Carroll. She’s not in the play, but she’s played a key role in ensuring the play went on.

She says those attending the play won’t be disappointed.

“They might wish they had a longer time of practice, but I know they’re going to do an amazing job on the show,” Brewer-Vartanian said.

Curtains will open on the one-time performance Saturday, May 20. Tickets for the play go on sale Thursday at noon at marianlives.org.

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