It’s that time of the school year. Nervous kids and excited parents gather in theatres and auditoriums all over Beijing to see the results of hours of rehearsals. We applaud wildly for every Little Orphan Annie, Lion King, and third fairy from the left as we watch students exercise their creativity to beloved tunes.
But there is something different about the Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA) Middle School show this year. The students wrote it themselves. Instead of a traditional musical, they collaborated to create The Poisoned Apple Awards. It’s an original musical parody that focuses on the centennial gathering of all the evildoers you know from fairy tales, myths, movies, and pop culture as they hand out trophies to honor “The Meanest of Them All.” Imagine the Academy Awards if Hades hosted while Ursula and Regina George battled it out on the red carpet.
And it’s not only the script that’s original. A small group of dedicated students designed and built the costumes made from mostly repurposed materials. To top it all off, a small jazz trio of students will provide live customized arrangements to accompany the actors.
It’s ambitious, to say the least. So, Jingkids sat down with some of these creative young minds to find out what motivated them to tackle this challenge. They told us that while other musicals are great, they carry expectations of previous performances. “If it’s new, if we do it ourselves and no one else has done it, then we get to set the standard,” Rebecca Wei, from Grade 8, told us. Other students liked that they could evolve the script during the rehearsal process. “We can tailor the characters to the person playing them, to the talent we have,” Grade 8 student Joseph Doucette added. This probably explains how the Queen of Hearts ends up playing electric guitar in the final number!
The idea of collaborating to bring out the best in each actor came up a lot in the conversation. Students talked about the importance of having everyone’s voice matter as they wrote and sometimes argued, about the best choices for the show. But ultimately, they agreed that the process pushed them to try new things. Aarav Gupta, from Grade 8, told everyone: “I never thought I would sing in public, but we needed someone to do that line. So, you just do it ’cause it’s what the group needs.” The cast nodded their agreement with him as Lindsay Long, Grade 7, added, “I never thought I would do this kind of dancing,” and Wei gets a laugh from her castmates as she quips, “Yeah, I’ve never been so afraid of chairs!” referring to the Fosse-inspired dance routine the cast performs to their rendition of the “Cell Block Tango,” where different fairytale villains justify their life choices.
And this brings up the next question: Why this topic? Why focus on the bad guys? The room exploded with passionate opinions at this prompt. “It’s about perspective,” said Long. “The so-called ‘hero’ is the villain in our story.” Johnson Qiu, Grade 8, said, “Villains are important and significant in stories.” The kids went on to point out that “the story doesn’t work without us” is the last line they wrote in the show because these characters matter but are so often ignored or simplified. This mirrors conflicts in the real world where one side is labeled “good” and the other “bad,” and that’s not productive for finding common ground.
It’s a profound topic, but the students chose to tackle it through comedy, and their reasons might surprise you. Wei pointed out that villains are often the product of painful pasts and stated that “humor is based on pain.” Juju Zhu, from Grade 6, added that comedy is a great equalizer in the message of empathy, understanding, and perspective they are aiming for. “At first it’s weird [to look at things that way], but then you just laugh, because you can relate to it.”
As I chatted with the students, the thing that struck me most was how confident they were as they spoke about their work and how respectful they were of their fellow collaborators. I asked them what they thought they learned from this process. Stage Manager Crystal Xu, Grade 8, focused on critical skills. “I learned I had to be really organized,” she said. “The crew depends on me. And how to communicate with different people.” Several students talked about the empowering feeling of putting a message into the world. “Be responsible for your words,” stated Apple Feng, Grade 7, with conviction, and when pressed, she revealed she meant both the message you deliver on the stage and the promises you make to your castmates off of it. Dol Dol Zhu, from Grade 8, added to that sentiment. “Your actions matter. Everyone is important – even the chorus – ‘cause if you don’t show up, it affects everyone.”
It’s hard not to be impressed by these young thespians. They are opinionated and passionate, but they also have empathy and offer unwavering support to each other. They might have spent the last several months digging into what makes a character “evil,” but the only thing I see on display in this circle is compassionate leadership and hard work worthy of hero worship.
The curtain goes up on The Poisoned Apple Awards on Jun 22 and 23 as part of BIBA’s Spring Showcase, which will include the High School production of Boys Are from Mars and Girls Are from Venus.
For tickets, please email: Jwolf@bibachina.org
Images: Julie Wolf
