For Carmel High School senior Eden Hammond, the role of Conor O’Malley in “A Monster Calls” hits home.
“I have some personal challenges just because in this story, Conor’s mom has cancer,” he said. “I’ve had the same problems in my life with my mom having cancer in the past. So, it’s just been taking on that role and doing it justice.”
Hammond is one of 11 CHS students performing in the show, set for the IndyFringe Festival at IndyFringe Basile Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis.
“A Monster Calls” will be performed at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 25, 5:15 p.m. Aug. 26, 7:15 p.m. Aug. 31 and noon Sept. 2.
“I didn’t have the same experiences that Conor has as a character, so being able to play it differently is really cool,” Hammond said.
Senior Will Swigart plays Sully, one of three people who bully Conor.
“The three of us kind of work together to make his life miserable,” Swigart said. “I’m also a part of the ensemble. We’re doing all sorts of different things like moving around in the background and becoming different characters.”
Swigart said the biggest struggle for him is he has never personally experienced bullying. Moreover, he said it’s not his nature to be mean.
“A role in which I have to be such a cruel and awful person is a very big step in a different direction for me,” he said.
Senior Sophia Malerbi plays Conor’s mother, which she said has been a challenging role.
“I’m playing a character that’s much older than I am who’s experiencing something that I fortunately have never had to deal with,” Malerbi said. “It’s very challenging trying to get into the mind space of a mother, along with a mother who is dying from an illness.”
Senior Juliet Malherbe plays the role of the monster.
“The monster appears to be a very creepy kind of being that comes to Conor in his nightmares but is actually a manifestation of all of his anxieties worries, feelings and everyday thoughts,” Malerbi said.
Malherbe said she has to perform on 2-feet stilts in her role.
“Right now, I’m still in the phase of trying to walk balancing,” she said. “The next phase will be me trying to walk normally while acting and not looking frightened.”
For more, visit indyfringe.org.
