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Super Non-Heroes cast picture

The Middle School cast and crew of The Super Non-Heroes prepare by rehearsing stage directions and getting into character using larger-than-life acting techniques.
 

These are hardly your typical superheroes.

Sneezy Magee’s superpower is sneezing — her sneezes can move mountains. But she can’t control them. Smellinator can imagine things into existence using her sense of smell, but she can't control her power.

The Poet speaks in rhyme and commands lightning bolts to sizzle her enemies. Golden Boy’s powers are strength and charm, but he uses them to get ahead with whomever he can.

Taryn Temple’s The Super Non-Heroes, this year’s Providence Day Middle School play, delivers humor and a message spot on for teens: inclusion, friendship, and teamwork.

“All the characters in this play are very ‘quirky’ in their own way and want to make friends in such a diverse environment,” Ari Padmanabhan, a seventh-grader who plays superhero Toxic Sludge, says. “Inclusion is a very prevalent theme in this play, and this is another reason why I love it. In a world where it becomes easier and easier to exclude people, this play serves as a reminder that we are stronger together.”

The cast of 21 will perform The Super Non-Heroes at 7 p.m. on January 30 and January 31 and 2 p.m. on February 1 in the McMahon Fine Arts Center Theater.

“Audiences will love it,” says Jamie Hutteman, Middle School theatre teacher, advisor, and director. “It is appropriate for all ages, funny, and only an hour long.”

The comedy also allows students to learn about themselves — something seventh-grade student Bennett Stevens did through his character Big Whoop, whose superpower is being a “super bro.”

“The part is fun,” Bennett says. “I get to act as a convincing bully. Since this is different from my personality in real life, it is also a challenge.”

The plot follows Powerless Charlie, who must dig deep within herself when a supervillain attacks the school — a place where she doesn’t feel like she belongs. The characters are all teenagers learning to use their powers in superhero training school.

“To help the actors prepare, we focused on defining traits — assigning each character a stereotype to portray in addition to his/her superpower,” Ms. Hutteman says. “We played with reflecting these traits through big physical and vocal choices to enhance the comedy and the characters.

“We even had a guest artist — local college teacher and director Jill Bloede — come in and work with the actors to help them make bold, active, over-the-top choices for this show.”

Ari’s Toxic Sludge, who is a blob of nuclear waste, is a character who is full of heart and likable, he says. But the part is difficult.

“He can be very happy at times and very sad at other times,” Ari says. “This serves as a challenge for me since I have to completely switch my delivery quickly while making it natural.”

“The message of the play is important, as it reminds everyone to be inclusive despite differences and work as a team instead of handling something by yourself,” Bennett says. Adds eighth-grade student Cydney Doffermyre, who plays The Shield: “The message is important because it shows that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

In lieu of admission, donations to the Freedom School Supply Drive are encouraged. Collections will be received in the foyer. Click here for tickets.