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Brook Williams and Elliott Karlinsky rehearse for Riverbend High School's annual scholarship show. This year's production is 'Cactus Flower,' and raises money for the Cpl. Brett Lundstrom Scholarship Fund.
Abe Burrows' 'Cactus Flower' ran for years on Broadway before it became a 1969 movie.
Lundstrom |
When Riverbend drama students take the stage for a four-performance run of "Cactus Flower" tomorrow night, they won't be doing it for the applause.
As they have each year for the past three, the students' benefit show will raise money for the Marine Cpl. Brett Lundstrom Scholarship Fund for the Performing Arts.
Lundstrom, a Brooke Point High School graduate, was killed Jan. 7, 2006, by small-arms fire near Fallujah, Iraq. He was 22.
Kelly Creswell directs the play each year at Riverbend, in honor of her former student and godson.
"Some of these students knew me when Brett was killed, and though they never met him, he was one of them," she said. "This never gets political. It's just about honoring him. This school has known loss, and this is about losing someone you care about. They get that."
The scholarship is given each year to the theater students who have given the most time to the program during their time at Riverbend. Last year's recipients, Sammi Geer, Jimmy McClain and Eliza Etter, each spent about 1,000 hours after school bringing plays to schools, teaching children, volunteering for summer camp programs and more.
"These students have spent a lot of time giving back," Creswell said.
This year's recipient will be decided in April. Creswell said there are four students in contention.
Geer, now a freshman studying theater at Christopher Newport University, will use the scholarship money this summer, for a two-week theater program in London.
"This isn't a scholarship where you don't know where the money came from," Geer said in a phone interview. "We know what happened to him."
Geer said the scholarship is particularly meaningful to her as the daughter of a Marine. And last week, recognizing Veterans Day and the anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corps, she said Lundstrom was particularly on her mind.
"I've printed out a picture of him that I keep on my desk," she said, "just as a reminder."
Kelsey Dowling is a junior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She won the scholarship in its first year.
"The scholarship was a way of remembering Cpl. Lundstrom every year," she said. "I was completely honored to receive it."
The scholarship show Dowling's senior year remains her favorite play, "Over the River and Through the Woods."
The play is about two sets of grandparents, who've raised their grandson. He moves away to take a job promotion.
"The play shows the grandparents dealing with him leaving," Dowling said. "It's about who's important in your life, and not taking anyone for granted. I thought it was a really good tribute to him."
Dowling is double majoring in theater and international studies. She said she'd like to work with a traveling children's theater company overseas, helping children learn English through theater.
Not all the scholarship winners are theater majors.
Recipient Nathan Jones is in his second year at the University of Virginia, studying history.
"It really meant a lot to Mrs. Creswell to remember him," said Jones, who plans to find time for theater at U.Va. "She thought it was a good way to remember him, to help someone else with their education."
Creswell said she plans to continue that tribute.
"Brett was a good student and a good person," she said. "This scholarship allows us to keep his memory alive, and to recognize other kids who are good students and good people."
Laura L. Hutchison:
Email: lhutchison@freelancestar.com
| WHAT: Cactus Flower, a comedy by Abe Burrows WHEN: Tomorrow through Saturday, 7 p.m. WHERE; Riverbend High School COST: $5. Benefits the Cpl. Brett Lundstrom scholarship, which is given annually to a theater student |
