Yukon’s theatre students prepared for the musical production, “Little Women,” and brought it to life for, not only the audience, but the actors performing it.

The original novel, which first published in 1868, was a heartwarming story about four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy who grew up during the Civil War era. The story centered around their individual journeys and the many life challenges they face while growing up.

The musical blended several important themes like family bonds, personal growth and gender roles which theatre teacher Lindsey Duffin really wanted to highlight through the art of a musical performance. She also specifically planned to focus on the sometimes complicated but loving relationship between Jo, the second oldest sister, and Amy, the youngest. Duffin hoped that every audience member would understand the true importance of enduring love and support within a family.

“I hope that the audience takes the message that I think the true strength of family is the love that family has for each other,” Duffin said.

The musical itself was proving to be an exciting event for theatre this year. While the dedicated cast and crew worked tirelessly to bring the story to life on stage, the entire production also gave many students a chance to join a supportive and inclusive community.

Sophomore Charles Elijah Davis, who was in theatre, was excited about the performance. He felt that spending time with friends and working with a talented, expanded cast was the best part of the entire production process throughout performances.

“I’m most excited for just getting to spend time with my friends really,” Davis said. “There’s so many more people who are doing it this year that were sad that they didn’t get to do it last year and really excited to see the outcome.”

The preparation of “Little Women” was about much more than the performance. The message of the story, the awaiting process of rehearsals and collaboration with band and choir brought the cast and crew together. The production formed a tight-knit community behind the scenes and created a positive atmosphere with happy memories to look back on which motivated students when the pressure or work load became overwhelming.