Malden High School Play Production Presents “Once On This Island”

Written by Neden Bernadin and Sabrina Monteiro

Malden High School students from Play Production performed the musical “Once On This Island” on November 16th, 17th, and 18th. This musical takes place in Haiti where a young girl named Ti Moune, played by Senior Ariana Teixeira, rests ashore from the ocean and is taken in by a couple. One day, she encounters a wealthy boy and instantly falls in love with him despite their divided cultures keeping them apart. The four gods, Goddess of Earth (Asaka) played by Junior Leticia Sidney, God of Water (Agwe) played by Senior Zack Dunphy, God of Love (Erzulie) played by Senior Nathalia Sousa, and the God of Death (Papa Ge) played by Senior Ramon Aguinaldo, are trying to shake some sense into her that she can’t be in love with the wealthy boy, Daniel, played by Senior Michael Goroshko who is from entirely different world. But Ti Moune refuses to believe that and goes after the boy. Unfortunately, it is not a happy ending for the two lovers because Daniel is forced into an arranged marriage while Ti Moune dies and turns into a tree.

The faculty members from Malden High worked extremely hard on making this play come alive. With the help from Play Pro directors and English teachers Sean Walsh and Miranda Libkin, Band teacher Erin O’Brien-Mazza, Choral director Todd Cole, English teacher and Technical director Allen Phelps, members of the Haitian Club, Play Pro actors and technicians, and many more, it was definitely a beautiful performance.

Cole was responsible for the all the singing and preparing the soloists, lead characters, and ensembles in the Play Production. He found the “music to be so wonderful” and said that it was easy for him to teach and learn it. For other shows, he usually has to “switch things around and tell [the students who are singing] what part” which can become confusing, but this show was created in a way where Cole could “teach exactly [what is] in it and [he did not] have to [change] things to adapt to the voices.”  

As director and choreographer, Libkin said “it was really fun to put [the show] in front of an audience and see the way [they] reacted. [That is] always one of the best parts of any show.” Libkin stated that the number one strength of the entire production was “the willingness of the Haitian Culture Club and the Haitian community in Malden to help [them] and guide [them] and make it a production where [they] were celebrating that culture…[she thought that was] very special.”

French teacher Paul Degenkolb, who is the advisor of the Haitian Culture Club, said the club gave some background about Haitian culture and taught Play Pro about “the music, dance, and history as [they] [planned] the play.” Degenkolb also said the experience was fun, but it was more the students who took part in it and “all [he] was really doing was facilitating so that the Haitian students could have a voice in the planning of the play.”

Junior Nathaniel Tortorella Silva, one of the Head Costumers in Play Pro said “[Once On This Island] was a really good experience” considering it is his first year in Play Pro. They decided on the style and colors of the costumes by “talking to the Haitian Club and asking [them] their opinions on things…[they] wanted to make sure it was culturally accurate”. They had the help from a seamstress that was familiar with the Haitian culture. Silva looked forward to “seeing [his] hard work pay off and seeing the costumes that [they] worked on, come to life.”

Upon playing the lead role of Ti Moune, senior Ariana Teixeira wasn’t too fond of being labelled as lead because she felt that “everyone in [the] show played an important role in telling the story of [her] character.” What she loved most about playing the role of Ti Moune was the fact that she was able to interact with the audience along with sharing a moment with everyone apart of the cast, which made the show even more special for her. Although playing the lead role was considered difficult, it got easier for her to combat this role because of her classmates and directors.

Teixeira explained that “throughout the show, Ti Moune is focused on getting out there and chasing [her] dreams and [she does not] care about the obstacles [she] may face because [she] truly believes that [she will] get where [she] wants to be.” It was extremely important for Teixeira to have embodied the confidence of Ti Moune and where she was coming from. It was also difficult for her to act out these emotions on stage when she felt “uncomfortable” or was not feeling confident at times. Teixeira was “happy that [her performance]  was able to put a smile on people’s faces.”

Whenever Teixeira has to perform, she tends to get nervous. But this year, she recalled being “way more calm” and her “heart was racing” as usual. Since this was a musical, she was more nervous due to the fear that she might sing a wrong note or sing flat out horribly. That fear went away as she found out that with the audience, “everything changes and that can be a good thing or a bad thing, but as always, it was a good thing.”

Teixeira stated that if it was not for her “peers and directors and the Haitian Club”, she believes that she wouldn’t “have been able to perform Ti Moune as people saw [her]” and found that character in herself. She found Ti Moune to be “such an amazing character and [she] honestly doubted that [she] could play” without the help of others.

The purpose of this play isn’t about a peasant girl and wealthy boy who fall in love, it’s about realizing that one does not need to fall in love to be happy and that life isn’t always planned out the way one wants it to be, and that’s okay.