Andy Rivera, the History, Literature, Music, Spanish, and Theater teacher at Orcas Christian School, knocked it outta the park again with this year’s student play. He never ceases to bring out the abilities of the student (and teacher) actors, and this was another impressive production.
Fantastic job, cast and crew!!
photos by Evan Kulper
photo by Andy Rivera
I was immediately taken aback by the kids’ acting abilities, voice projection, natural-looking physical animation, nuances they gave to their individual roles, and period costumes and hairstyles.
As a parent and substitute teacher, I’ve had a wonderful window into these productions. Mr. Rivera has a knack for expanding students’ horizons and abilities. He believes they can do the role they are given, if practiced one day at a time, and he carries that belief for the students until they are carrying it for themselves. Sometimes they aren’t even at that point until hours before the first show. But belief becomes reality every single time, and it is mesmerizing to see what transpires, surely not without a lot of fear, consternation, doubt, and sweat on Mr. Rivera’s part all along the way!
I felt this magic firsthand several years ago. It began when our older son was in class one day and Mr. Rivera asked the students who would like which roles in a Romeo & Juliet play. Theater in the sense of a formal production that requires serious weekly and then daily practice was new to many of the kids and new to OCS. One of the students, a person who was what I would consider an outward theater type, suggested that our son, more the engineer type, play the role of Romeo. Our son agreed to it, and Andy began solidifying the cast. When Evan came home from school that day, I was surprised that he had taken on a lead acting role. Over several months, I watched firsthand as the quiet, fly-on-the-wall photographer, showing up here and there to document the process. The kids went from being goofy students to serious actors. It was dauntingly impressive. (You can watch that transition on this post about the making of Romeo & Juliet.)
When I stepped into the theater yesterday and sat down to watch Little Women, my mind flashed back to the moment I first saw this cast practicing their lines when I was their substitute teacher a few months ago.
When kids first receive their lines, they are at the beginning of a steep learning curve. At the same time, they embark on a massive growth process within themselves. First, can they get up and say lines in front of peers without busting up or turning beet red? Can they train their bodies each day to move in larger and larger spaces? Over time, can they move beyond their individual little daily uncomfortabilities until they are ready for a stage and audience without their knees buckling beneath them? There isn’t even a question that they won’t learn their lines – Mr. Rivera and the staff make sure they practice so thoroughly that the lines become second nature.
In the first dialogue practices, their word delivery is stilted, their gestures are small and scared, and they are downright silly. That’s all I saw of this cast until yesterday.
Watching the curtains open and seeing what changes had occurred over the months was downright dazzling.
If you’re anything like me, Little Women was a book you opened many years ago and couldn’t get past the first few pages.
After the play, I came home and asked my new favorite online question answerer, ChatGPT, about Little Women.
By the way, if you haven’t used ChatGPT, it’s fascinating. It’s much more informative than simply Googling a topic, and it gives immediate, in-depth answers in essay format, full of additional information. Here is how Google defines it:
ChatGPT.com is a large language model chatbot, created by OpenAI, that uses natural language processing to generate human-like conversational dialogue. It can respond to questions, compose written content, and even assist with tasks like writing code. Essentially, you can interact with it like you would with a human chatbot, asking questions and getting answers.
My question for ChatGPT was this, followed by its response:
I just saw the play Little Women. I had a difficult time getting past the first few pages of the book when I was younger. Tell me why it is historically and culturally significant, and why it continues to be an important piece of literature today.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, published in 1868, holds enduring historical and cultural significance for several reasons—and its relevance today remains strong. Here’s why:
🔹 Historical Significance
- Groundbreaking for Women’s Literature
Little Women was one of the first American novels to focus on the everyday lives and inner lives of ordinary girls and women, rather than placing them in sensational or melodramatic plots. This was revolutionary at a time when literature rarely centered on female ambition, independence, and selfhood in such realistic terms. - Civil War-Era America
The book is set during and after the American Civil War, offering insights into domestic life, gender roles, and economic realities of the 19th century. Alcott subtly critiques the limitations placed on women while also reflecting the moral and spiritual values of the time. - Autobiographical Influence
Alcott based the story on her own life and family, particularly her strong-willed, independent self (mirrored in Jo March). This connection to real experience adds to its authenticity and emotional depth.
🔹 Cultural Significance
- Feminist Undertones
Jo March’s refusal to conform to traditional female roles—especially her desire to write, remain unmarried (at least initially), and live independently—has made her a feminist icon. The novel explores the tension between societal expectations and individual identity, a theme still deeply relevant. - Family and Moral Values
The story champions love, perseverance, sisterhood, sacrifice, and integrity. Its portrayal of close family bonds and moral growth has universal appeal, especially in a world increasingly marked by individualism and disconnection. - Generational Appeal
Passed down from mothers to daughters, teachers to students, Little Women has been a rite of passage for many readers. Its characters feel like companions during formative years—mirrors and models for real-life growing pains.
🔹 Why It Still Matters Today
- Timeless Themes
Issues like gender roles, ambition, poverty, family dynamics, love, and loss are perennial. Readers across eras see themselves in Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—their struggles and aspirations continue to resonate. - Literary Influence
Little Women has shaped countless writers and storytellers. From Virginia Woolf to Greta Gerwig (director of the 2019 film adaptation), creatives have drawn on its emotional honesty and structural innovation. - Adaptability
Its continued adaptation into films, plays, and TV shows demonstrates its cultural staying power. Each generation reinterprets it through its own lens, finding fresh relevance in its messages.
🔹 Final Thought
At its heart, Little Women is a story about becoming—growing into who you are, who you want to be, and learning to balance that with love, duty, and dreams. That kind of story will never stop being important.
That response led me to watch the trailer for Greta Gerwig’s movie version of Little Women:
Quite the cast. Florence Pugh kept me laughing out loud as Scarlett Johansson’s character’s sister in Black Widow. If you remember this pose, you know what I’m talking about.
Timothée Chalamet’s acting and singing were phenomenal in A Complete Unknown. And of course, Emma Watson, Harry Potter‘s Hermione, is an unforgettable face for younger generations. Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, the list of seasoned actors goes on.
Here’s how it rates on Rotten Tomatoes:
Here is what ChatGPT says about it:
🎞️ Little Women by Greta Gerwig (2019)
✨ What Made It Special:
- Innovative Structure:
Gerwig restructured Alcott’s linear story into a non-linear narrative, drawing parallels between the March sisters’ childhoods and their adult lives. This elevated the emotional resonance and highlighted the themes of memory, loss, and growth. - Feminist Reframing:
She emphasized Jo March’s role not just as a character, but as a stand-in for Louisa May Alcott herself, foregrounding Jo’s ambition and frustration with the limitations of her time. The film even ends with Jo watching her book being printed—a meta-textual moment about female authorship. - Star Power & Direction:
With performances by Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep, the ensemble brought fresh life to beloved characters. Gerwig’s direction created a dynamic, emotionally rich world that honored the original novel while adding new layers.
🌟 Awards:
- Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay (Gerwig), winning for Best Costume Design.
Greta Gerwig was driven to make Little Women because she saw Louisa May Alcott’s novel as both deeply personal and radically feminist, and she wanted to reinterpret it in a way that honored its emotional core while also re-centering its boldness and modern relevance.
Key reasons behind Gerwig’s motivation:
1. Personal Connection
Gerwig has said that Little Women was one of the most important books of her life. She connected deeply with Jo March as a character—independent, creative, and yearning for something beyond the confines of traditional womanhood.
“It’s one of those books that’s part of your DNA… I felt like I knew these girls and this story in my bones.”
2. Reframing a Classic for a New Era
Gerwig wanted to reinterpret the novel for a 21st-century audience, emphasizing its modern themes—female ambition, economic survival, the tension between love and independence, and the role of women as artists and workers.
“I wanted to explore how women’s work and women’s stories are often undervalued, and how that mirrors what Alcott herself went through.”
3. Blending Louisa May Alcott’s Life with Jo March’s Story
Gerwig’s screenplay blends the fictional Jo March with the real-life Louisa May Alcott, who never married and had to write commercially to survive, even when it went against her personal ideals. Gerwig uses the film’s non-linear structure to highlight this tension—between art and commerce, independence and domesticity.
“I wanted to make the movie Louisa May Alcott would have made if she had been allowed to make movies.”
4. A Feminist Perspective
Gerwig explicitly aimed to underline the feminist themes in Little Women, making Jo’s voice clearer and more assertive about issues like ownership, authorship, and economic agency.
5. A Love Letter to Art, Family, and Female Creativity
The film is also a celebration of sisterhood, creativity, and memory. Gerwig’s direction treats the story as a patchwork of past and present, emphasizing the way women’s lives and relationships are woven through time and art.
GREAT JOB, OCS – STUDENTS, STAFF, AND EVERYONE INVOLVED!
Beautiful hair and costumes, Ely Foss! And so wonderful that Orcas Center provides the theater for these annual productions.
Thank you, Mr. Rivera, for schooling me on an old classic, and motivating me to learn more. Your dedication to your students is tremendous, and I will always be a supporter of anything you endeavor to do for them. May you now have a bit of rest and soon experience an unforgettable summer walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain – you’ve earned some some adventurous and peaceful time on foot…
May those of you reading this be inspired to live out the things you want to do, too…
Wonderful review and comments. Thank you!