‘A Monster Calls’ Cape Rep’s Young Company

Maura ‘Mo’ Hanlon, the program director of the Young Company (YoCo) at the Cape Rep Theatre in Brewster, was excited and animated as she described the play that the group was performing next month. 

 “‘A Monster Calls’ is an emotional, even scary, story based on the novel by Patrick Ness,” she said. “We always look for contemporary, super plays for YoCo because we like to get a conversation going as they explore how to act it out.”

YoCo, now in its tenth year, is a free theater program for high school students from all over the Cape. No experience is necessary, just commitment.

 “The first couple weeks of the course, we play theater games and get to know each other,” Hanlon said. “Then we hold auditions in front of each other. The students discover that 20 people can do a speech in 20 different ways. They learn to watch their peers and learn different interpretations that way. 

 “The next step is, ‘what part are you interested in?’ A villain? A funny part? The hero? Then my creative team and I consult on who will play what role. I like to give everyone their turn, their moment. The goal is to help everyone grow,” said Hanlon. Students under 18 in grades 8 through 12 can return year after year. All interested students are welcome.

Hanlon and her crew, — Ian Hamilton, Alison Weller and Macklin Devine, along with Holly McCarthy, Susan Nicholson, Art Devine and Janine Perry — are developing the actors in YoCo by showing these young people “how to go to certain places in their acting but not to fall into a well of emotions,” she said. 

 “Acting is active; playing your verbs, the action words. Acting is that. Lean into where the play takes you. We teach them to feel that, then let it go. Protect yourself always, and remember it’s a play,” she said. 

 “A Monster Calls,” inspired by Siobhan Dowd from Ness’s novel and devised by Sally Cookson, is a moving story of a troubled boy plagued by nightmares, until one night the nightmare becomes real when a monster arrives through his window. The monster demands something profound from him. It’s an English play, so voice and speech coach Weller had a big job with this cast. 

 “Alison Weller is magical!” Hanlon said. “Her impact on the kids is amazing.” 

 This ensemble has been meeting since October, with a break over the holidays, and will perform one weekend only on Feb. 6 and 7. Hanlon is excited about seeing the play come to fruition and feels it will make an impact on the audience. 

There will be a talk back session after the show.