Jude Magnotti ‘26
EE Co-Managing Editor
In laughter, in love, and in life, some are inclined while others are not to believe in the possibility of miracles. Despite all that I have seen, I still find that I myself do; after all, isn’t the very event of me writing this article a miracle in and by itself?
Still, for whatever you may believe, it is impossible to deny that some individuals are thrust into a world in which they find themselves inordinately disadvantaged in comparison to those around them.
Whether that be a young girl growing up in poverty, a boy born with turrets syndrome, or in the case of Helen Keller, a brilliant mind trapped in a world of darkness and silence.
Just nineteen months into what was to be a prosperous life, Helen Adams Keller was stricken with loss of both her sight and hearing. Confined to the almost unbearable world without sound nor vision, Helen became almost sub human and was treated as such by her family.
That was, until one Miss Annie Sullivan came along and changed all that. In Williams Gibson’s dramatization of this awe-inspiring story The Miracle Worker, Helen and Annie undergo a journey of violence, teaching, and self-discovery all while excavating truths about themselves and the other that each never thought possible.
Immortalized both on stage and on screen by Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft, this iconic work of art now finds itself in the hands of the remarkable students and teachers in the theater department at the Regional Center For The Arts (RCA).
RCA is an after school magnet program specializing in cultivating and unlocking the artistic abilities and talent in teen performers from all across Connecticut. In the theater department in particular, there is a strong culture of enrichment, dedication, and most importantly: fun!
Now, after almost three months of grueling yet enlightening rehearsals and hard work, the cast and crew of The Miracle Worker now head into tech week ready to put on the show of a lifetime!
Exclusively composed of upperclassmen with previous RCA experience, director Mrs. Krissy Dorn has been scrambling to prepare her students for their first production of the year. Still, despite all that goes into putting on a show, some still find themselves incredulous enough not to appreciate the value of each of the individual idiosyncrasies involved in adapting a creative work.
If you are open minded enough to not conform to such assumptions, then make your way down to the RCA Black Box on December 6th and 7th at 7PM to reap the benefits of four straight months of creative machinations!
In addition to bringing you the aforementioned heart warming story of The Miracle Worker, RCAs production features a set of exclusive sign language presentations performed by students throughout the show.
As someone who has always been eager to learn sign language myself, I would eagerly advise you to see what this portion of the show has to offer. The stage lights are set to go, the performers are ready to perform, and the story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan is ready to teach you things that you never thought the human mind was capable of. Grab your handkerchiefs everyone, because this is going to be a tear jerker!