The lights flash on, the big red curtains open, and dozens of actors shine in the spotlight. Many Westford residents are aware of the amazing performances the Westford Academy Theater Arts (WATA) program put on every year. However, the program starts with enthusiastic middle school students who grow a love for theater and choose to continue with it through high school.
Since the beginning of October, sophomore Molly Ford has volunteered her time to choreograph a number in Stony Brook Middle School’s winter musical, Newsies Jr. She reached out to Stony Brook’s Theater Arts teacher Andrea Watson earlier this fall, wanting to be involved in the Stony Brook Theater Arts (SBTA) production this winter. As someone who was involved in SBTA for all of middle school, Ford forged a great relationship with Watson and looks forward to working with her again.
“I wanted to get involved in SBTA because I loved being a part of it when I was in middle school,” Ford said. “I have known Ms. Watson for a while, since she was the director of all the musicals and plays I was in in middle school. She is also one of my favorite teachers I have ever had. She is overall a great person to be able to work with.”
Watson made the easy decision of giving Ford the job of choreographing the tap number in the musical due to her vast knowledge in the dancing department, as she has been dancing for the past thirteen years of her life.
“I know Molly is a very accomplished dancer and I was happy to have her take on the number,” Watson said.
The tap number Ford is choreographing is in the second act when the “Newsies” are beaten up by the police for going on strike, but later notice that these efforts earned them a front page appearance in the newspaper.
Ford has worked hard with a group of about twelve actors over the course of the last month, putting the dance together step by step. With the help of this experience, Ford has come to envision herself pursuing a profession as a dance teacher.
“I already help teach dance classes at my studio, and I definitely want to continue that,” Ford said. “I also really love choreography, and I can definitely see myself pursuing that as a career.”
Ford’s impact on the musical has been a positive addition to SBTA, and her role as a choreographer may be extended moving forward in future years.
“[In the future] I would absolutely ask Molly [to choreograph] again,” Watson said. “She is very talented and is doing an amazing job teaching and supporting the middle school students.”
