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Students at James Lick Middle School gave bold performances March 9-11 of an original musical directed and designed by their teacher Keith Carames. “Just in Case: Tales of an Immigrant Life” tells the story of three families and their different relationships to the United States—Highlighting complex themes of immigration, xenophobia and resistance.
The start of the musical sets the tone for the rest of the evening, with students reciting monologues describing their family’s personal immigration history. Immigration stories from Latin America, East Asia, Europe and Pacific Islands were told in various languages. It is clear from the start that the production is a reflection of students’ reactions to the current administration.
“It’s really timely and pretty openly political,” said Gretchen Schuessler, whose daughter Stella Danielson is an 8th grader at James Lick.
Students collaborated on developing the script with Carames, who directs performances at James Lick Middle school and teaches at The American Conservatory Theater’s Young Conservatory. Carames provided an outline of the musical and, using improvisation techniques, the students took charge of the storyline. The process was part research and part creativity. Once the storylines were envisioned, Carames and the students wrote the script. The assistant director, Jenna Monroe, choreographed the show.
Rehearsals began in mid-December 2016 and continued through March, three times a week for 2-3 hours after school.
The election and subsequent executive orders influenced the direction of the musical. With the pervasive nature of the news cycle, the musical saw changes up to the week leading up to opening night.
“Every single day something changed. Every single day the show grows. If something happens in the news we are paying attention,” Carames said. “The kids are reading and researching.”
The plot centered around a present day Mexican family, a Jewish-American family and a Syrian family. Each of the families are affected by the current state of affairs.
The Mexican family was preparing to cross the border and settle in California. The family’s excitement about what to pack came to a halt when they learned Donald Trump had won the election.
“He stands for everything we are against,” proclaimed Marisol, matriarch of the family, played by 8th grader Blanca Castillo.
The Jewish-American family is portrayed celebrating a wedding anniversary and recognizing the opportunities their family received in the United States after World War II. And the Syrian family attempts to continue as normally as possible despite the threatening conflict going on around them.
In all three families, children take bold action as a way of showing their resilience and resistance.
Pablo, who is adamant about moving from Mexico to San Francisco to pursue an education, leaves his family in Mexico and crosses the border. Natalia traveled to Syria to help the refugees. After their home is destroyed, the three children in the Syrian family are determined to immigrate to the United States to start their lives over, even though they did not initially intend to move.
With assistance from Jorell Chavez, director of vocal music at Phillip and Sala Burton High School, the musical incorporates songs from the American musical theater song book. Chavez transposed them for the adolescent voice. This is his third year teaching and his first musical directing job.
The stage was framed by a hand-painted Lady Liberty backdrop, a brick wall and a chainlink fence. Students used the different spaces on stage for each family scene, switching seamlessly from one family to the next. A group of students, who were casted, as “immigrants” bring the songs to life with dance numbers.
“I’m Not Afraid of Anything,” originally featured in musical theater production “Songs for a New World,” becomes a symbolic number. The song is rephrased to fit this new context, and features the entire cast tearing down the chain link fence representing the dismantling of borders. Families are reunited on both sides of the wall.
The performanced received a standing ovation from the audience, with Carames giving an emotional speech on closing night.
“People have heard our piece. Now what more do we have to say? The students learned how to use theatrical technique to tell their own stories, and rise up and speak out,” he said.
The students took difficult topics and produced a powerful musical that shows resistance in the face of conflict. Empathy and love shine through. The musical’s storyline demonstrates students’ understanding of political turmoil in a developmentally appropriate way.