MHS Theatre Program’s Community and Educational Outreach Draws Inspiration from Little Women’s March Family

Morristown, NJ—Morristown High School Theatre’s award-nominated Community and Educational Outreach program is drawing inspiration from Louisa May Alcott’s March family for its efforts in connection with MHS’s fall production of Little Women.

Those attending any of the four performances of Little Women from November 21 to 23 will have an opportunity to write letters to US soldiers overseas at a writing desk stationed in the lobby that is similar to the one Jo March uses in the show. The lobby will also have a take-a-book, leave-a-book shelf, which will allow attendees to both donate books and go home with new books. All of the books that remain at the end of the weekend will be donated to charity.

Meanwhile, MHS Theatre’s Head of Community and Educational Outreach, MHS senior Abby Higgins, has designed and distributed an art project called “Marmee’s Gratitude Quilt” to local schools and education programs. As part of the project, students from grade school through high school will complete “quilt squares” about gratitude, which will then be displayed in a quilt-like arrangement in the show’s lobby during the weekend of performances.

Fittingly, Higgins plays Marmee in the show. The March matriarch, Marmee instills a spirit of charity, compassion, and gratitude in her daughters. Jo, the second-oldest March daughter and the show’s protagonist, is an aspiring author, thus the book exchange. The play takes place during the Civil War, when many of the men, including the Marches’ father, are away at war, thus the letters, which will be sent to soldiers via the “A Million Thanks” program.

Higgins, who leads a team of four students overseen by the show’s faculty directors, says, “Morristown High School Theatre participates in community outreach and educational impact because we are passionate about sharing the arts with everyone while simultaneously bringing awareness to important community issues. By connecting with real-world donation centers and activities, we hope to teach the community and our audience the themes of our show and inspire them to act by donating or participating in our activities.”

She continues, “Our play follows the journey of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—exploring themes of gratitude, family, and love while they navigate personal and familial challenges. Throughout the play, Marmee teaches her children about the importance of being grateful for what they have. Marmee’s Gratitude Quilt is a social-emotional and artistic lesson plan that aims to teach students the same way the Little Women are taught by their mother.”

The take-a-book, leave-a-book shelf is inspired by the fact that, per Higgins, “one of the most important themes in Little Women is equal education.” The letter writing, meanwhile, is not only a good deed but “helps our audience feel more immersed in the March family’s story, as the women of the March family communicate with their father via letters sharing kind words and hopeful messages.”

The harmony between Higgins’s two roles in the production, as the matriarch Marmee in the cast and as Head of Community and Educational Outreach behind the scenes, is not lost on her.

“Marmee is seen teaching her daughters important life lessons and keeping them socially aware of the reality of the world while also keeping her home warm and welcoming for all,” Higgins says. “I find a lot of myself in Marmee, and I aspire to be like her. Even though I am not a mother but a high school senior, I share her joy in teaching children important social-emotional skills that they will need later in life.

“Outside of her role as mother, Marmee is an active member of her community, always wanting to give all she can to those in need. That corresponds to my role as Head of Community Outreach and my passion for helping others and spreading awareness. It is particularly interesting that my role in the cast reflects so much of who I am as a human being and my position in the crew, and that is a lovely way to close out my last fall play at Morristown High School.”

Higgins’s efforts have earned her and MHS Theatre multiple award nominations, including for Educational Impact and Community Outreach at Montclair State University’s Foxy High School Play awards for last fall’s Shakespeare in Love and the preceding spring’s Mary Poppins, and for Educational Impact at the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star awards for Mary Poppins and this spring’s Les Misérables.

MHS Theatre will present four live performances of Little Women on the Morristown High School stage, including two evening shows and two matinees:

• Friday, November 21 at 7:00 pm
• Saturday, November 22 at 2:00 pm
• Saturday, November 22 at 7:00 pm
• Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 pm

MHS Theatre is also hosting the "March Family Children’s Party" for young theatergoers from noon to 1 pm on November 22, before the Saturday matinee. Kids will have a chance to enjoy snacks, beverages, a craft, and meet select members of the cast. The Children's Party is a separate admission from performance.

Tickets can be purchased at https://mhs.booktix.com.