Fall in love with ‘Large Print Romance,’ by VHS thespians

Throughout the school year, students from Vashon High School’s theater program have toiling away on a labor of love: creating a collection of three original plays collectively titled “Large Print Romance,” now set to bow on the school’s stage May 15-18.

All the plays — about marriage, divorce and all the other complications caused by romance — are based on novels found at Granny’s Attic, and written, directed, and produced by the VHS thespians.

Andy James, the head of the VHS theater department, said that the idea for the show came to him one day while he was shopping at the local thrift store.

“I was struck one day at Granny’s by the little label on the shelf that said ‘Large Print Romance,’ James said. “I thought, ‘now that’s a title for a show,’ and I bought every book on the shelf to give out to students.”

Spring shows at VHS, he added, are reserved for “our inventions, for works that are more experimental, and that go by in the flash of one weekend. We want audiences to be swept up in that rush of pure playing around, and I expect that spirit will be easy to join into.”

For the show, student writers Adam Ingalls and Delilah Spence penned two plays, and a third was devised by its cast — each based on the novels James swept off the shelf that day at Granny’s.

The show will begin with “A Wedding for Maggie,” written by Ingalls.

Ingalls described the play as a “rom-com taking place during a wedding, in which the guests and participants watch as scheming and high jinx ensue — making everything that could go wrong, go wrong.”

Admitting the book became “a little too raunchy to finish,” Ingalls said he also mashed in ideas for his play from other books, with juicy titles including “Saved by the Perfect Cowboy” and “Amish Country Amnesia.”

The second play on the bill, “Reunited with the Heart Surgeon” was devised by the play’s cast, working the James, and features multiple fascinating parts.

The cast of Delilah Spence’s play, “Do or Die Bridesmaid,” will finish off the show.

Spence explained that her play was based on a book that was “a murder mystery told from the perspective of the girl who got murdered.” She reworked the original text with impunity, she said, after realizing “I could just make it my own and, more importantly, make it good.”

Check out these never-before-seen plays by clever young writers at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15; 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 16 or 17; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18.

A content warning for “Large Print Romance” advises that the plays “are free-wheeling and full of the occasional salty language and innuendo, and may not be suitable for children under 12.”

But although the show might not be appropriate for the youngest kiddos, a student-written press release touted its charms for others: “For fans of romantic comedies, ‘Large Print Romance’ ensures to deliver witty comedy and heartfelt moments. Be prepared to witness remixes, gender swaps, satire, and everything unpredictable. Come to observe what happens when teenagers have complete creative freedom.”

Tickets, $10 for everyone, will be available at the door and may also be purchased in advance at tinyurl.com/5n72wwrt. Make donations to support the VHS theater program at tinyurl.com/fxwhef53, and follow Vashon High School Theatre program on Instagram.