Article by Ismenia Ginebra ’18:
On March 9 and 10, the Drama Club of Kellenberg Memorial performed the play The Song of Bernadette. The Song of Bernadette tells the story of St. Bernadette Soubirous, a young girl who once lived in Lourdes, France. While growing up in poverty, Bernadette had a number of struggles growing up. Over the course of the play, the audience follows how the town reacted to Bernadette’s claims as well as the difficulties she endured when many ridiculed her.
Deirdre Ambrosi ’20 as St. Bernadette Soubirous. Photo: Harrison Keller ’18
Cast to play St. Bernadette was Deirdre Ambrosi ’20 who told us that, “Bernadette was such an interesting part because it was so different than any other role I’ve ever played. She is such an iconic figure in our faith and the miracle of Lourdes is obviously so well known that it was definitely large shoes to fill, especially after the 1943 movie that gained so much recognition.”
Christopher Draghi ’18, a senior cast played Bernadette’s father, François Soubirous, looked fondly back to his final drama club performance. “It’s really hard to believe that this was my last drama club performance. I have made so many friends over the course of my time in this club. I share with them so many memorable moments that I will never forget.”
L to R: Deirdre Ambrosi ’20, Christopher Draghi ’18, and Dean Cooper ’18. Photo: Harrison Keller ’18
Chris had a very special connection to this play. In 2017, Chris had the opportunity to serve on Kellenberg Memorial’s Lourdes Service Mission. “Leading up to this performance, I always thought back to the days on the trip when we got to see the parts of Lourdes where she grew up in, such as the cachot [the dungeon where Bernadette and her family lived]. I could envision those places as I was performing, which added a really cool element and meaning to the performance.”
Kaitlyn Byrnes ’18, a senior and fellow missionary in 2017 to Lourdes this past summer, went to see this performance. “Watching The Song of Bernadette brought me back to my time in Lourdes in a really sweet way. I remember learning about Bernadette’s life and story while I was there; I felt so amazed at how despite the difficulties she endured, Bernadette did not let any of her struggles deter her from her path. Being able to see this performance meant a lot to me.”
Reflecting on the experience of the role, Deirdre says, “Portraying her opened my eyes to the idea that anyone can potentially be a saint, even 14-year-old girls at the bottom of their Catechism class who haven’t even received the Eucharist. Her complexity in her simplicity was the most challenging and yet rewarding puzzle I’ve had to piece together, and I’m so glad it received such great audience response.”
CAST & CREW
Sister Marie Thérèse Vazous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Christelle Pascal ’19
Marie Soubirous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Annemarie Patalano ’20
Students. . . . . . . . . . . . .Emma Carmody ’21
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Sophia Cadieux ’21
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Grace Peknic ’21
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Campbell ’21
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Grace Cairo ’20
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Kerrin O’Grady ’21
Dean Peyramale. . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephen Scully ’19
Louise Soubirous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Pajonas ’18
Soubirous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Christopher Draghi ’18
Croisine Bouhouhorts. . . . . . . . . . . . .Erin McCloat ’19
Louis Bouriette. . . . . . . . . . . . .Benjamin Truncale ’20
Bernarde Casterot. . . . . . . . . . . . .Danielle Wergiles ’20
Madame Sajous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Melissa Lalonde ’19
Antoine Nicolau. . . . . . . . . . . . .William Pipa ’19
Mayor Lacadé. . . . . . . . . . . . .Jason Kopp ’18
Jacomet. . . . . . . . . . . . .Dean Cooper ’18
Dr. Dozous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Devereaux ’18
Céleste. . . . . . . . . . . . .Clara Ambrosino ’21
Madame Pernét. . . . . . . . . . . . .Katherine Callahan ’19
Mother Joséphine. . . . . . . . . . . . .Elizabeth Huggard ’18
Jeanne Abadie. . . . . . . . . . . . .Rosie Pham ’20
Bernadette Soubirous. . . . . . . . . . . . .Deirdre Ambrosi ’20
Ensemble
Thomas Burke ’18
Michael DeRisi ’18
Alexis Estevez ’18
Anthony Ort ’18
Nicole Ramirez ’18
Marina D’Atri ’19
Erin Pederson ’19
Dylan Tobie ’19
Joseph DeMarco ’20
Luna Lowrie ’20
Kelly Peknic ’20
Michael Popp ’20
Evelyn Vesely ’20
Colin Donnelly ’21
Brandon Farrell ’21
William Hoffman ’21
Robert Nolan ’21
Stage Crew
Jacob Bernius ’18
Nikolas Brandon ’18
Brianna Cespedes ’18
Joseph Hynes ’18
Jillian Iovine-Riccardo ’18
Gaelle Josama ’18
Giacomino Lenti ’18
Theodore Nelson ’18
Danielle Urban ’18
Dominic Vesely ’18
Corey Wells ’18
Tyler Zatarain ’18
Karolina Chroscielewski ’19
Mary Cullinan ’19
Alexis Diaz ’19
William Doherty ’19
Jennifer Fleming ’19
Nicole Lallier ’19
Mia Sessa ’19
Eva Siegel ’19
Kerry Skinner ’19
Yamilay Andre ’20
Emily Galofaro ’20
Antonio Marin ’20
Anna McLaughlin ’20
Kristen Pittaro ’20
Margaret Pipia ’20
Nicole Tapia ’20
Ciara Atkins ’21
Sophia Chigounis ’21
Grace Anne Iaccino ’21
Arianna Torres ’21
Kathy Vu ’21
John Lauritsen ’22
Daniel Sullivan ’22
Robert Atkins ’23
Alex Hill ’23
Michael Miglino ’23
Auditorium Crew
Sound. . . . . . . . . . . . .Jake Metzner ’20
Lights. . . . . . . . . . . . .Nicholas Trainor ’19
Spotlights. . . . . . . . . . . . .Peter Gillen ’20
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Connor Williams ’21
Firebird Network
Director. . . . . . . . . . . . .Gavin Williams ’18
Technical Director. . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Campbell ’19
Cameras. . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Cavanagh ’19
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Joseph Lamoreaux ’19
. . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Castelli ’20
