Parkway School: Broadway in Backcountry Returns

“The show must go on” took on new meaning for Parkway School as it launched an encore to last year’s successful inaugural school play, with this year’s Mary Poppins Jr. production.

On December 11, just as auditions were getting underway, the family of Director Mia Gyesky experienced personal tragedy as their home burned down. The Parkway, Central and Greenwich communities rallied around them, and for Gyesky, giving her time and talents back to this community has made this year’s production extra meaningful.

“We initially picked Mary Poppins as a play for the nostalgia and joy that it would bring to families. But art has a beautiful way of mirroring life. Never did I suspect that my own family would go through a tragedy during our rehearsals and that I would be using the script as my own outlet and understanding of life,” Gyesky said.

To bring this show alive, the Parkway village has once again come together. Mia (a theater professional) and Jenet Grant, PTA President-elect, were joined by fellow Parkway parents, including Christian Perry, Mari Alves de Queiroz, Garrison Gunter, Diana Wong, Staci Levy and Jeff Conran. Many other parents contributed in ways big and small.

Parkway teachers and staff like Tricia Garten (who served as musical director) and Michelle O’Brien (who served as dialogue expert) have stepped in to make it all run smoothly, despite the dramatic start as well as four snow days that threatened the rehearsal schedule. Principal Mary Grandville and PTA President Shari Aser’s support as well as that of Administrative Assistant Jeanine Fasone has been integral throughout, according to Gyesky.

She says the play isn’t just about what happens on opening night, but about the process for the third to fifth grade cast and crew. “It is so important to me that children are not only learning, building confidence and becoming a team, but also discovering theater as a powerful social and emotional tool,” Gyesky said.

No doubt these lines from Winifred Banks, the mother in Mary Poppins, will ring especially true for the Gyesky family and the Parkway community:

“Always remember that he loves you very much. And that’s far more important than jobs or houses or anything else.”