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Twin sisters from Hazelwood Southeast Middle School received their second taste of life on stage as they played supporting roles in George Gershwin’s classic, Porgy & Bess.

Jennifer and Jessica Hayman, seventh graders, portrayed two of Porgy’s children. Last year, they said they acted in their first piece, La Bohème.

“It was fun and we had to do a lot,” Jennifer said. “We had to really act, even though we were children. It was a good experience for us.”

“I liked how we had to get dressed up, pretended nobody’s watched us act when there were more than 100 people in the theatre and that the set was really our house,” Jessica said.

Both girls think acting might become a career for them after they finish school. Next year, they will be in the production Carmen.

Porgy & Bess tells the story of a handicapped African-American man living in the ghetto of Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1930s and his attempts to rescue a woman named Bess from bad characters, Crown, and Sportin’ Life, in the neighborhood.

Acting was not always good times for the Haymans, as they had some challenges to overcome.

“Our cues,” Jennifer said. “We went backstage the whole time until our cue. The stage director always called us late.”

Other things they dealt with included hot costumes (they had four sets of clothes on at one point), usually made of wool or other heavy material and acting happy when they really felt tired. The two girls said they were not the youngest actors on the stage; however, at least one co-star was between 7 and 9 years old.

“I really liked the cast I worked with,” Jennifer said. “The other artists, most of them were from New York or Europe, and we worked really well together.” (story courtesy of Hazelwood School District)
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