A Story Of Family And Sisterly Love Finds Its Way To The Highland Stage

It has been nearly three months since the curtains closed on Highland’s final performance of SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical. But Highland’s play and musical production and stage crew classes have not sat idle these past months. 

Only a week after the musical’s last run, these students went back to the grindstone as they began work on their next production. Both cast and crew have been hard at work auditioning, rehearsing, building sets, gathering props, polishing scenes and getting light cues on point as they near the opening night of their second show of the school year.  

And on February 23rd the curtain will rise once again for audiences to see this latest production by the Highland Theatre Department: Little Woman. 

This show will no doubt hold a contrasting tone to SpongeBob’s fantastical underwater adventures, but it contains a whole new host of characters whose tender and sometimes heartbreaking stories are bound to reach the hearts of those in the audience.  

Little Women follows the coming-of-age stories of the four March sisters—Meg (Harper Pearce), Jo (Aviana Cova), Beth (Savannah Moon), and Amy (Sarah Kurth)—as they grow up in the shadow of the Civil War. Each sister faces their own challenges and sacrifices as they learn to find their place in the world, balancing their dreams with the roles of women during the time period.  

“It’s a story of love and family and finding your place in the world,” lead actress Aviana Cova said.  

The musical centers primarily on Jo March’s story as she aspires to be an author and to be recognized and valued for her work in an age where independent women were virtually non-existent. Along the way she must learn to balance her dreams with societal expectations and the needs of her family. 

Along with the March sisters, the show also follows the Marchs’ next door neighbor Theodore Laurence (Sebastien Green), nicknamed Laurie and his relationship with each of the sisters, as well as the stories of Laurie’s tutor, John Brooke (Tate Nichols), and the handsome German, Professor Bhaer (Rowan Jackson). 

The moments of genuine connection between these closely-knit characters are something Cova is excited for the audience to see. 

“It is, in my experience, rare to have theatre where the characters are already so close,” Cova said. “With this story, they start off with these very close relationships and I think it’s very fun and it will be very fun for the audience to see those relationships taking place.” 

And each character certainly does have their fair share of arguments and loving, tender moments that prove that every type of relationship has its ups and downs, but that they can all work out in the end. 

And with the close friendships among the cast members, these moments of connection are bound to feel even more genuine when each member already shares a strong bond with those they share the stage with.  

“We are working on this thing together and creating something that we’re all proud of,” Cova said. 

Among the rest of the cast are Julian Johnson Munoz as Mr. Laurence, Ashley Going as Miss Kirk, Eleanor Scoville as Marmee, and Annie Pasmann as Aunt March. The latter two many might remember as Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants respectively.  

Little Women will have five performances in Highland’s Little Theater starting on February 23 at 7pm with three more performances at the same time on the 24th, 25th, and 27th, with a matinee at 1pm on the 24th. Tickets are $6 for students and $10 for general admission. 

“[Little Women] is full of heart and passion,” Cova said. “Every second of the show will make you feel something.”