'Song Of Parkland' Trailer: Drama Students Band Together In The Wake Of The School Shooting
On February 14, 2018, a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and killed seventeen people and injured another seventeen. A drama class was in the middle of rehearsal for a musical when they heard shots being fired, so it'd be totally reasonable if everyone wanted to abandon the show once they returned to school.
But that's not what happened. Instead, in one of the most inspiring instances of "the show must go on" you'll ever hear, the drama class decided to go through with the musical after all – and a new documentary called Song of Parkland will tell that story. Check out the trailer below.
Song of Parkland Trailer
I continue to be hugely impressed by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, some of whom became targets of awful people suggesting the kids were actors who didn't actually witness their fellow students being killed in front of them. Many have appeared on national television to advocate for gun control, conducting themselves with class and dignity in the wake of heartbreaking tragedy.
This is the first I've heard about this drama class and their efforts to continue their production of the school musical, and their resolve to put a smile on their community's face after such a terrible thing is a symbol that even though the world seems to be falling apart, hope is still a powerful thing.
The 28-minute documentary debuts on HBO on February 7, 2019, exactly one week before the one-year anniversary of the deadly shooting.
When Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School drama teacher Melody Herzfeld heard the fire alarm on February 14, 2018, she was rehearsing with her students for their annual children's musical. An active shooter entered the school in Parkland, Florida, and Melody rushed her 65 students into a closet while the shooter took seventeen lives. When they returned to school in the aftermath of the tragedy, the students resolved to continue with their production. Coming together in a process that would ultimately lead them to a moving performance at the Tony Awards, they find a path to healing for themselves and their community.
Directed and produced by Emmy winner Amy Schatz, SONG OF PARKLAND shares the courage of young people faced with unimaginable loss and their journey to rediscover joy and meaning. "We want to bring happiness to this school again. We want to shine a light," says Alex Athanasiou, drama student.