2011 will see the beginning of a new chapter for the middle and high school plays. Not only will Bristol Whalen be the new director for the middle school performance, additionally co-directing the high school play, but both schools will perform the same piece. Or rather, variations on the same piece.

“Still Life with Iris,” written by Steven Dietz in the mid-1990s for the Seattle Children’s Theater, is an imaginative, quirky yet sober work. Set in a parallel universe, the play revolves around a kidnapped child named Iris and her journey to return to her homeland Nocturno. That quest is complicated by the fact that the abduction causes Iris to lose her memory.

Themes of history and recollection are given playful twists in Nocturno; a person’s memory is woven into a “memory coat” which must be worn and protected at all times. To remove the coat means memory, personal history and therefore identity, are lost. Clutching only a button of her stolen memory coat, Iris sets out for, as Whalen said, “her home and her history.”

It is a universe that Whalen could not resist when first reviewing scripts for the middle school performance. “Still Life with Iris” was close to the top of the pile, and after a few pages, Whalen was hooked. “It just spoke to me,” she said.

A graduate of Friday Harbor High School and once an avid participant in public school theater, Whalen knows what it is like to act at a young age. One reason she chose the play was that the character’s ages resembled those of her young cast. “The ages were accessible. It’s very difficult to act someone who is not close to your age. There is a real balance between fantasy and reality.”

Whalen, a college double-major in theater, directing and German, said “Still Life with Iris” accommodated her professional tastes.

“I like things to be visually striking,” she said. With a soundtrack to be chosen and a colorful on-stage universe to explore, the play let Whalen explore her vision.

It is not only the middle-schoolers who will be taking a trip to Nocturno in the coming months. Fred Yockers, after reading the play, decided he too wanted to put on “Still Life with Iris” at the high school. Since Whalen would already be working on the play, it seemed appropriate to team up for the high school performance.

It is a partnership that, according to Yockers, proved very creative. “I have never collaborated with any one, at any age level, better than Bristol.”

The play may be running twice, but Yockers and Whalen said it will not be the same play on the stage. Whalen was adamant that different performances will be inevitable.

Whalen said that the age difference between middle- and high school-age students means different life experiences, and therefore different interpretations of the play. Where some students may interpret parts of the play as more raw and emotional, others may choose to play up the comic or musical aspects.

Both directors said the students had no problem with the idea of sharing a play.

“We had meetings with cast. The overwhelming response was yes,” said Yockers. “We asked for feedback for nearly two weeks.”

Whalen added, “And that’s what this experience comes down to. This story is so powerful, it’s because they love the story so much.”

Sharing “Still Life with Iris” has had other advantages. The two directors have encouraged a mentorship between the middle and high school students. It is not, as Yockers said, a one-way, older-to-younger relationship. Whalen encouraged all the cast members to consider their characters and share their impressions.

“I love watching these kids getting excited about telling a story and telling it their own way, they give each other hints or tips about speech or movement.”

The high school play will run in January, the middle school version in March.

— DATES: “Still Life with Iris,” San Juan Community Theatre’s Whittier Stage, Jan. 13-15 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for students and RUSH tickets are $5.