A lesson in love and loss

Ashwaubenon High School students took to the stage this week, inviting audiences to follow along on a journey of love and loss in a small town in their production of Kodachrome, directed by seniors Lydia Fite and Harmony Sommers.

“The show is about a photographer that kind of leads us through different stories throughout the town…” Fite said. “There’s all these different relationships happening, so there’s six-ish different storylines going on, and she leads us through all the different plot lines. It’s mostly about love — different points in relationships and things like that. It’s a little bit more sad than most shows, but it’s a really beautiful story and there’s a lot of symbolism.”

With Fite and Sommers at the helm, Ashwaubenon’s production of Kodachrome took shape to include a role for everyone who wanted to be a part of the show.

“This isn’t traditionally an ensemble show, but of course we want everybody to be included,” Fite said. “Even just the people who are sitting in the background of the scenes, they all made up a character. And the people that are playing the traditional roles have improved so much as actors. A lot of them I’ve known for four years, so I’m just really proud of the performance that they’re putting on.”

And Sommers said she hopes audiences see how the cast and crew have taken pride in their work.

“I hope they see that the cast is having fun and that their fun radiates off onto the audience so they can have fun watching the show,” Sommers said. “Of course, we care about the audience, but I think my main priority is making sure the cast is having fun and enjoying what they do.”

Beyond the care and attention to detail Fite, Sommers and the cast and crew have poured into the show, the student directors said they hope the audience is able to walk away with an appreciation for the show’s message

“This show really is just about love and treasuring the relationships that you have,” Fite said.

“I hope they understand that love is good, and to love also means you have to lose stuff,” Sommers said.

There’s still time to catch a performance of Kodachrome this Saturday, April 19, at 7 p.m.

Learn more at ashwaubenonpac.org.