Playwright and director Mike Hesford isn’t afraid to address what’s really on our minds.
In “10,000 Hours,” Hesford – who runs the Jefferson High School theater department – confronts the new American nightmare head-on, bringing a school shooting to the stage.
We don’t see the shooter, but we hear the gunshots, and we see the fear on the faces of the students trapped in a classroom. The horrifying sight is a reality for so many. That’s what’s so bold about “10,000 Hours.” It addresses the mortality of high school students and has them asking questions that suddenly matter more than they ever realized.
According to their teacher, Mr. Wagoner (played convincingly by JHS Junior Winter Wagoner), it takes about 10 years, or 10,000 hours, to become a genius at something, but you must focus on one thing alone. Wagoner uses John Lennon as an example, and he foreshadows violence by referencing Lennon was shot and killed 42 years the very day the play is set. Still, you don’t see the shooting coming. How could you? The way the play is set up it appears to be just another day. There is the typical amount of horseplay, but despite it there is reverence for the teacher and genuine interest in the discussion. The students start thinking about what they’d like to see their 10,000 hours go toward, and this really amplifies once they are suddenly faced with the reality of how fragile and fleeting life can be.
We don’t know if the students are going to survive, but we do know – if they make it out of this – they’re not going to take life for granted. If they make it out of the classroom alive, they’ve got a good shot of making their 10,000 hours count.
It goes without saying this is an intense drama for the students to portray, and they do so believably and courageously. Some of the most powerful scenes have no dialogue, only weeping. There’s not a lot of frivolous chatter when it’s a matter of life or death. This is clear in the reactions of Kael Hesford, Hayden Yap, Madi Hassler and the rest of the cast, who realize the stakes and the emotions associated with them, which made it all the more real and all the more frightening for the audience. Jack Johnson was especially outstanding as Syd, who starts as the class clown and quickly becomes the leader. Although just as terrified as his peers, he serves as the captain while they are stranded in the classroom, trying his best to keep the class united. He and others do so by using the question of “how would you use your 10,000 hours” both as an ice-breaker and a way to inspire hope. Interestingly, answers to the question during the production were ad-libbed.
Heford understands “10,000 Hours” is a lot for those in attendance to swallow, so the show opened with another play, “The Audition” by Don Zolidis, which is a little lighter, but also dives into the tragic realities of bullying and emotional abuse caused by unsupportive, unhappy parents. Myle O’Neill really shines in the role of the heartbreakingly cruel mother. The daughter, Elizabeth (Rory Rasmussen) also does an excellent job of transforming her character shy and insecure to confident and outgoing. Other standout performances include Arley Douglas as Soleil and Peter Stock as Alison’s Father.
Following “The Audition,” Hesford warned the crowd that the next production, “10,000 Hours” was going to be depressing and told them not to worry – that he’d follow this up with “The Little Mermaid” in March.
“10,000 Hours,” however, is far from a Disney musical; it’s a piece of contemporary literature, one Hesford hoped would be taken seriously in Missoula over the weekend, and he was right, as Johnson and Hassler both earned recognition. The play was also recognized for Outstanding Special Effects.
