{"id":15714,"date":"2025-11-13T14:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T21:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cms-theater-tackles-dyslexia-add-in-upcoming-one-act-production\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:50:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:50:54","slug":"cms-theater-tackles-dyslexia-add-in-upcoming-one-act-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cms-theater-tackles-dyslexia-add-in-upcoming-one-act-production\/","title":{"rendered":"CMS theater tackles dyslexia, ADD in upcoming one-act production"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The
The cast of \u201cThe Struggles\u201d are preparing for their opening night on Thursday. (Angela Gabardi\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

The Cortez Middle School theater program will present \u201cThe Struggles\u201d by Kendra Thomas, a one-act play centered on a young girl named Megan who grapples with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. The production is directed by Angela Gabardi and emphasizes movement and ensemble performance to portray Megan\u2019s chaotic inner world.<\/p>\n

Performances are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The cast and crew of 56 students began rehearsals in October.<\/p>\n

Seventh grader Linnea Merritt, who plays The Counselor, said the show\u2019s dramatic themes helped her connect with the character. She added that she appreciates the representation of learning differences, including ADHD, dyslexia and giftedness.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest goal is that someone in the audience sees this show and can relate and feel like they matter. That one simple show of a girl being supported and pushed down can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wynn Tanner portrays Megan in the production, which runs without intermission and features emotionally intense ensemble work.<\/p>\n

\"The
The students have also shared how the show has impacted them. (Angela Gabardi\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Katy Meeks, assistant director, said the short rehearsal period made memorization and movement especially challenging and hopes the audience can see they aren\u2019t \u201ctrying to bring her (Megan) down but uplift her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope they understand the meaning and the many emotions in the play,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The production\u2019s dynamic staging keeps most actors onstage throughout, using synchronized movement and unison lines to reflect Megan\u2019s mental state, Gabardi said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe set\u2026 is stunning and truly showcases the students\u2019 understanding of what our lead character is going through,\u201d she told The Journ<\/em>al.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students reflect on the impact during rehearsals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1060,21,147,28,60,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-arts-entertainment","tag-cortez","tag-cortez-middle-school","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15714"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19803,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15714\/revisions\/19803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15714"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}