It comes to you in the night as a whisper, starting soft, like the wind. Then it gets louder as it creeps closer, calling your name. You hide in your room believing it’s safe from the ever nearing monster outside your door. A Monster Calls, a story about a boy named Conner in year eight learning how to deal with his mothers cancer and a yew tree telling him stories. It sounds magical and whimsical in a way, but this story is not that. The book A Monster Calls is a story of loss. We follow Conner as he goes through this difficult time with his mother having cancer, his father living in America, and his stuffy grandmother. He is visited by a monster who tells him stories at night, trying to teach him how to tell his truth and deal with the potential loss of his mother.

Why are we talking about such a book? Most of you know it from an english reading class, or if you’re like me you haven’t heard of this story till now. The Bingham theater company is doing A Monster Calls as the spring play this year. How? Might you ask about how we will pull this off. “You need a monster who is big and scary,” or you could say, “Aren’t they British or something?” I would say who knows maybe you should come to the show and see how we pull this off. 

The cast of A Monster Calls has been working hard on learning a new dialect (a dialect is the theater term for an accent) from the north of the UK; Yorkshire, a mix of British and Scottish. I can say being a part of this production has been a bit scary, like how I have had to learn so many new things in such a short time. It has been so worth it though. I now know how to puppeteer and use my body as a prop to set a scene. I am not the only one who has gotten this wonderful opportunity, we have a cast of 25 talented actors.

Bryn Allred – Apothecary/Daughter/Ens

Braxton Barry – King/Ens

Claire Burnham – Grandma/Ens

Quinn Burnham – Mr. Marl/Ens

Piper Griesemer – Daughter/Ens

Amelia Hardy – Ms. Godfrey/Ens

Skylar Jensen – Nurse/Ens

Solar Leonard – Queen/Ens

Jensen Murry – Dad/Ens

Aleah Ostler – Mum

Bianca Roque – Daughter/Ens

Creed Strong – Parson/Ens

Flo Taiba – Sully/Ens

Raya Tanner – Conner

Siri Tanner – Lily/Ens

Bre Thompson – Annie/Ens

Keean Ward – Prince/Ens

Maya White – Harriet/Ens

Our cast may seem a little small but we are mighty. “It reminds us that our problems are real, and they drain us.” says Piper Griesemer. A big part of the show is how the story speaks volumes about real life, even though it seems a little fantastical. Creed Strong mentioned, “It shows that healing takes time and it almost is never a physical thing.” Our pain can be physical but this show dives deeper into the mental pain one can face in life. Come see Bingham Theater Company perform A Monster Calls on February 27 – March 3, 2025. You can get tickets at gofan.com, $8 for students and $10 for general admissions. The monster has come walking and is calling your name.  …