'Charlotte's Web' gives voice to girls' troupe

Published Date Written by Timothy Gillis

 Sometimes it's that personal connection that makes a difference. A

relative to E.B. White helped fuel the acting inspiration of East End

Community School student Sadie Cross.

   Cross said she was inspired by E.B. White’s granddaughter, Martha

White, who spoke at the University of Southern Maine about her famous

relative, his writing and her own.

   “She talked about when he started writing the books,” Cross said.

   Cross can be seen filling dual roles in A Company of Girls'

production of “Charlotte’s Web” this weekend.

   Cross, who plays Charlotte and Fern, said she does not prefer one

role to the other. “It’s sometimes confusing since I’m also in the

chorus, which tells the story, but I usually don’t mix up my lines,”

the 10-year-old actress said.

   In addition to “Charlotte’s Web,” forever a favorite for children

of any generation, White also penned “The Trumpet of the Swan,” and

“Stuart Little” which, like the spider story, has found fame on the

stage and the big screen.

   White lived on a salt-water farm in Maine, and was also an

accomplished essayist and grammarian. His co-authored “Elements of

Style” is still the writer’s bible. Children love him for his animal

books, though. And the cast of A Company of Girls revelled in dressing

as farm animals and carrying on human conversation.

   Asked about her favorite part of the acting company, Cross said,

“You get to meet and make some great friends. You come here, you can

be yourself. Sometimes, at school, kids tease. It’s always safe here.

It’s really fun.”

   Cross, in her third year with the company, previously played in

their productions “How the Children Stop the War” at the Studio

Theater and “Holes” at Portland Stage.

   Although the cast is young, by Broadway standards, there is an

undeniable enthusiasm among the actresses, the stage crew, and the

50-plus people who turned out this past Thursday afternoon for the

opening show of A Company of Girls. Made up of mainly moms and young

daughters, the audience also featured a smattering of dads and

grandparents. The energy from the performance was equally felt by all.

   For children, there is something magic and powerful about dressing

up as an animal, and the kids got right into it, decked out as a goose

and a gander that repeats itself, a sheep and a lamb, Templeton the

rat, Wilbur the pig, and, of course, Charlotte, the spider who saves

Wilbur’s life with the power of words.

   A Company of Girls, the after-school theatre and arts-based

resiliency program for girls aged 8-18, is composed of different mixed

age ensembles and meets after school throughout the entire school

year. Each ensemble produces at least one play a year. Productions

have included “Eloise,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Cynderella Cycle,” “On

the Bench and Sticky Like a Frog,” and “A Wrinkle In Time,” according

to the website.

   Working for the company is not easy, as the young actresses can

attest. Most of them play two or more roles, assuming different roles

on different days.

   Gina Laramore-Jones plays Templeton, Uncle and Fern, and is also

in her third year with ACOG. She attends Presumpscot Elementary

School. She said her favorite aspect to acting was getting up on

stage. “I like having a good time, making people laugh,” she said.

Next up for Laramore-Jones is “Seussical, the Musical” put on by

Stages. She said she also likes ostriches, wherever she can find them

— in books or at the farm.

   Cat Bernier and Kaylie LaCour are friends who love spending time

together at ACOG. Bernier, who plays Charlotte, the sheep, and the

chorus, goes to Hall Elementary School and is in her second year with

the company. LaCour plays Edith Zuckerman, goes to Lyman Moore Middle

School, and has been acting with ACOG for four years. “Everything is

all happy and exciting here,” Bernier said. “We can always do a new

project, and all the plays are fun.”

   “This is a place where you can be safe, and hang out with your

friends,” LaCour added. Both stressed that it wasn’t all fun and

games, however. It is a lot of hard work, to memorize lines for

several characters, but persistence pays off. “The more rehearsals the

better. If you miss any, you don’t know where you are,” LaCour said.

   Part of the Ensemble group for middle to high school girls, LaCour

is working on “Lord of the Flies” next. She plays Rachel, the female

version of Ralph from the William Golding novel. One of the signature

styles of the company is the way they interpret and reinvent

male-centered works through female perspectives. For example, they

produced “Queen Lear” to offer a female POV on the Shakespeare

regicide. The Fledgling group of the company is comprised of beginning

actresses, aged 8-11.

   Mackenzie and Maiah Marles keep acting all in the family.

Mackenzie goes to Portland High School, and was in the company for

seven years. Even though she left the company three years ago, she

still has volunteered for the last two, and plays Mrs. Arable in the

play. She is involved in the musical theater class at Portland High,

as well as the Drama Club, which produced “The Curious Savage” most

recently. Her younger sister, Maiah Marles, has been with the company

for three years, since she was six.

   “I left Charlotte on stage a little too early today,” Maiah says

of her day’s first performance. “She had to improv a little bit.” Not

deterred by the slight miscue, Maiah was buoyant about the next show

that evening. “I love the plays, when everybody finds out their parts.

When I heard I was going to play Wilbur, that was exciting!” Mackenzie

said she got into theater because she enjoys pretending to be someone

she’s really not. “The memorization is tough, but I’ve gotten used to

it. I get really nervous if a line is skipped. I’m not sure if I will

be able to pull myself back to where I’m supposed to be. Usually,

though, someone is pretty good at saving the scene.” The sisters

practice at home as much as possible, and thereby limit the potential

misspoken lines.

   Jen Roe, the executive and artistic director of ACOG, is excited

about the power of this production company that uses the arts to

strengthen the minds and spirits of young girls. The company was

founded 16 years ago by Odelle Bowman, who stepped down last year.

Roe’s first year in this new position has been filled with exciting

challenges.

   “Strengthening and empowering youth benefits all of us in the

greater Portland area and beyond," states the theater company’s

brochure. "Resilient girls are better able to withstand the stress to

which they are subjected, can adapt to change, and can move through

adversity. That means we get safer, healthier, more prosperous

communities with lower crime rates, less substance abuse, and fewer

girls having babies before they reach their own adulthood."

   A Company of Girls is performing “Charlotte’s Web,” adapted by

Joseph Robinette from E.B. White’s revered children’s book, at Studio

Theater at Portland Stage on May 4-6. Visit

http://www.acompanyofgirls.org for details.