Student’s final project shines light in dark times

Laureen F. Guenther
Times Contributor

 

Emily M. Cambridge, a fourth-year student at Rosebud School of the Arts, is producing and performing the musical Dani Girl as her Final Project, Feb. 11 and 12.
Dani Girl, written by Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond, is about a nine-year-old girl with cancer.
“When I first heard about the story, I thought oh, a musical about cancer? That’s interesting,” Cambridge said. “[But] instead of it being this really sad and hopeless story, it was the complete opposite. It was full of hope and joy and, although there are some sad and tender moments, it showed the light that can still shine through even in these awful times.”
Dani’s hospital roommate, 10-year-old Marty, is played by Cambridge’s husband Kevin Cambridge. Isajah MacDonald plays her imaginary friend, Raph, and Trisha Lewandowski plays Dani’s mother. David Snider is directing.
“They [children] go on this magical, imaginative journey to discover why cancer exists,” said Cambridge, who plays the title role. “She believes if she can discover why it exists, then she’ll get her hair back that she’s lost from the chemo, and when she gets her hair back, then she’ll be cured.”
“It is a story of light in the darkness and hope in despair,” she added, explaining why she chose Dani Girl for her Final Project. “I want to be an artist who tells these kinds of stories that remind us that there’s still hope in the world, even in times where it seems that we can’t find it, that the light will still be there. The light shines even brighter when it’s dark.”
Cambridge said acting in, producing and marketing the show is a lot of work. But she’s found her confidence has grown in the process.
“I’ve wanted to own and run a theatre company. It’s been one of my dreams, but I’ve never done anything like it before,” she said. “Throughout this process I’ve actually discovered just how much I like producing, and how much I enjoy finding a story I’m really interested in and helping that story come to life.”
Everyone who is in middle school or older will enjoy Dani Girl, Cambridge said.
“Anyone who has gone through a difficult time, it will speak to them particularly,” she said. “If you like musicals, you’re really going to like it, because it’s got great music.”
Dani Girl plays on Rosebud’s BMO Studio Stage, Feb. 11 at 9 p.m., and Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. There is also a performance for school classes at 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 13. Reserve tickets or inquire about the school performance at 403-625-0219 or lightinthedarktheatre@gmail.com. Tickets are $15 cash or cheque at the door.
“I think (the audience) is going to love the spunk and determination and playfulness of Dani and Marty and Raph,” she said. “I do hope they walk away with hope. And if anybody’s going through a dark time, whether that’s cancer or not, it could be any situation, that they remember that not all is lost, that there is still that glimmer.”