{"data":{"id":"690df713-eb33-4283-a2c5-73330b98f0db","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Alberta Youth Theatre Collective reviews Aurora Charter School's Jesse and the Bookkeepers","summary":"The Edmonton Journal is proud to host reviews of local high school theatrical productions, written by student reviewers through the Alberta Youth Theatre Collective. Reviews of past shows can be found here\n\nThe worlds between the pages\n\nHunter Lafleur, M.E LaZerte High School\n\nWhere stories breathe beyond their pages and imagination reshapes reality, Aurora Academic Charter School’s Jesse and the Bookkeepers, written by Emma Spires and directed by Victoria Junker, transforms the stage into a living world where narrative, performer, and audience blur into shared discovery.\n\nA key element of Jesse and the Bookkeepers was its stylized set design. With layered staging, distinct visual planes, and modular structures, the production created a sense of movement and discovery while maintaining clear audience focus. The separation of foreground, middle-ground, and background planes allowed for multiple areas of action to exist simultaneously without feeling cluttered, emphasizing the play’s energetic pacing and imaginative momentum. Particular attention was paid to the design of the book covers, whose varied colors, typography, and illustrative styles reflected the genre and emotional tones of the stories they represented. Collectively, these visual design choices created a sense of childlike wonder, inviting the audience to experience the play with the immersive curiosity of getting lost in a favorite book.\n\nOne stellar performance to spotlight is Adrianne Yue, an ensemble member who portrayed multiple distinct roles, demonstrating strong understanding of character transitions through shifts in physicality, vocal tone, and status. Yue differentiated each character through precise changes in mannerisms, variations in posture, gesture, and speech to clearly establish separate characters. Her ability to move between more restrained, low-status roles such as Doom to more assertive high-status characters like the Evil Queen, ensured that each transition was immediately legible to the audience without breaking the flow of the performance.\n\nYue also demonstrated strong rhythmic timing and awareness, by consistently aligning her performance with the production’s backing tracks and extended sound cues. This precision was particularly noticeable during a commedia dell’arte-inspired sequence, where her timing and physical control were essential to the landing of the slapstick humour. Her ability to remain tightly in sync with both the musical rhythm and the ensemble’s comedic pacing enhanced the clarity and impact of the entire group’s physical comedy.\n\nAnother strong element of Jesse and the Bookekeepers was its complex costume design, spearheaded by Anya Saini, Gurleen Shoker, Radhika Sharma and Lizzy Vandament. The use of color and texture were essential in establishing character identity and status, particularly in the contrast between Luna Moon and her sister Princess Selene. Selene’s black dress conveyed authority, elegance, and a sense of darkness, while Luna Moon’s silver costume suggested lightness, purity, and a more ethereal presence. Together, the contrasting palettes visually reinforced their differing roles in the narrative and made their relationship immediately evident to the audience\n\nTaken together, the cast and crew of Jesse and the Bookkeepers created a production that was both technically imaginative and emotionally resonant, transforming the stage into a living storybook where Aurora’s dedicated audience, amazing performers were invited to lose themselves within the wonder of storytelling.\n\nFinding a place beyond the page\n\nMikaela Cabalo, Oscar Romero Catholic High School\n\nStories often begin within the pages of a book, but this production vividly brings them to life. Aurora Charter School’s production of Jesse and the Bookkeepers transformed the stage into a fantastical world where every performance and technical element gave nothing but complete star power.\n\nJesse and the Bookkeepers is a one act dramedy that follows shy teenager Jesse, who escapes into books to hide from a world she doesn’t quite fit into. When the enchanted library she frequents is put into danger, she is pulled into a whirlwind of books where she must reorganize the muddled stories to stop the evil princess Selene from rewriting history. With the help of the librarian, Jesse discovers throughout her adventure that sometimes the bravest thing a person can do is to step beyond the pages they hide behind and find their place in the world.\n\nAs the troublemaking Smudge, Temiloluwa Dunmola may not have been a Bookkeeper, but he was certainly a sublime show-stealer. With his wide-eyed gaze, prim and posh accent, and hilariously exaggerated physicality, he was able to instantly seize the audience’s attention and enthrall them with his effortless command of the stage. Alongside Dunmola was Jude Alzo’bi as Selene. Alzo’bi’s regal cadence and dark-hearted attitude provided a spellbinding and distinguishable performance that proficiently captured the essence of a wicked fantasy villain. Dunmola’s and Alzo’bi’s antagonistic characterizations were both refreshing and enticing. Together as mastermind and minion, they amusingly balanced drama and comedy, demonstrating that playing evil can bring out unexpected comedic flair.\n\nIn theatre, there’s a famous aphorism that says “theatre is a team sport.” When it came to this production’s ensemble, their chemistry and unified stage presence made that sentiment unmistakably true and clear. Each and every ensemble member proved that there are truly no small parts in theatre as they brought unique personalities to their characters throughout scenes of comedy, tragedy, and stage combat. Their collective dedication and enthusiasm was evident from start to finish; the ensemble brought an electrifying level of energy that was off-the-charts and kept every scene vibrant and engaging.\n\nIn a nearly hour-long show, it would seem nearly impossible to have a single person design the lighting for an entire production. Yet for Yorsalem Telda, it seemed like a feat carried out with ease, shaping the magical atmosphere with a colourful array of hues—an effect that seamlessly extended into this production’s whimsical set design. A towering door resembling a book stood at the heart of the set, which served as an excellent element that pulled the audience into the wonder of the library setting, bringing a sense of joy and escapism through its immersive fantasy.\n\nThis production by Aurora Charter School’s cast and crew exhibited a fierce passion for creativity and artistry, exemplifying that storytelling thrives when imagination and collaboration comes together on stage.\n\nOpening a new chapter\n\nKatelynn Engel, Morinville Community HIgh School\n\nAurora Academic Charter School’s production of Jesse And The Bookkeepers, written by Emma Spires, is one you can get lost in, much like reading a good book.\n\nThe moment I entered the space and saw the towering set pieces designed to resemble books, I was intrigued to discover what stories I would witness that night.\n\nJesse And The Bookkeepers follows Jesse, a shy and lonely child who finds comfort within the Lunar Library. When the library – and the world itself – are threatened, Jesse embarks on a journey through stories and time periods alongside Luna, a mysterious princess librarian, and the magical Bookkeepers to stop Selene and her sidekick Smudge from rewriting history. Through this adventure, Jesse gains confidence and learns to connect with the real world instead of hiding within books.\n\nThe first thing I wrote down in my notes was about the costumes. Each character had a unique design that perfectly reflected their personalities and traits. The costumes I especially loved were those of Luna Moon, played by Iniya Kanchana Anbumani, and Selene, played by Jude Alzo’bi. These young women portrayed sisters – one good, one evil. Anbumani wore a gorgeous white dress scattered with crescent moon patterns, accompanied by a large silver headpiece. Alzo’bi wore a nearly identical outfit, except hers was black instead of white. However, the costumes were only one part of what brought these characters to life. Both actresses were dynamic in their portrayals and seemed to truly understand their roles. They presented their conflicting motives wonderfully while still maintaining a believable sister-like resemblance.\n\nOne moment I want to highlight occurs near the end of the play. As the ensemble surrounds Selene, she thrusts out her hands and the entire ensemble falls into a perfectly synchronized wave-like motion. It was a powerful and impressive moment that completely captivated me. As someone who has participated in similar ensemble work, I understand how much commitment and coordination it takes to create such a unified performance. To this, I say: bravo.\n\nTo close this chapter, I want to mention two actors who stood out to me because of their devotion to their characters. Temiloluwa Dunmola, in the role of Smudge, was a wonder to observe. Anytime he was on stage, my eyes were drawn to his performance, whether he was the focus of the scene or not. Dunmola delivered many comedic lines, expressions, and mannerisms with confidence and charm.\n\nSecondly, I want to put Adrianna Yue in the spotlight for a moment. Yue portrayed four or more characters throughout the play, and each one felt just as authentic as the last. Yue, a Grade 9 student, should be incredibly proud of the dedication and effort she put into this production.\n\nIt felt as though these two actors truly lived their roles rather than simply playing them.\n\nThis fantasy-filled journey is one I am grateful to have had the pleasure of embarking on.\n\nHeartfelt and hilarious\n\nStella Jentner, McNally High School\n\nFor Aurora Academic charter school’s first production, Jesse and the Bookkeepers is a heartfelt and hilarious production. This drama-comedy is a well put together show full of small, but entertaining vignettes full of laughs and interesting stories. It was a good first impression and I am excited to see what they do next.\n\nJesse and the Bookkeepers was written by Emma Spires, she wrote this play as an option for larger classes, by filling it with small vignettes so every student had a chance to shine. The play follows our main character Jesse, a shy and lonely girl, who spends her time reading books at the local library, called the Lunar Library. However when an evil princess named Selene attempts to rewrite history and rule the world, Jesse is forced to join the librarian Luna, and her magical Bookkeepers, on an epic adventure through many different stories and legends to save the world.\n\nOne of my favourite aspects of this show was the set. Specifically the way the backgrounds were painted. They only had a few set pieces but they used them incredibly well, and there was so much detail and effort that went into painting them. Especially the large life size book that sits centerstage. Clearly Anya, Gurleen, Radhika, and Lizzy worked very hard on these pieces, and it shows in the quality of the set pieces.\n\nWhile all the actors worked incredibly hard the character who stood out the most was Smudge, Selene’s henchman, played by Temiluluwa Dunmola. He was so energetic and full of life on stage, and his facial expressions were everything. He had amazing reactions and played off of Selene’s seriousness in the best way possible. Even though he was a villain I couldn’t help but fall in love with his characterization, and would search him out in every scene.\n\nThis show was a very enjoyable production, Aurora Academic Charter school has shown their willingness to put in lots of work to make a good quality show. They have a large cast of talented actors and I cannot wait to see what show they put on next year.\n\nBetween pages and worlds\n\nNavdeep Kaur, McNally High School\n\nAurora Academic Charter School’s production of Jesse and the Bookkeepers felt like stepping into a storybook where every page turned faster than expected, yet never lost its heart. Blending comedy, fantasy, and drama, the production created a world that constantly shifted between imagination and reality while still remaining emotionally grounded. Written by Emma Spiers, Jesse and the Bookkeepers follows Jesse, a shy young girl who finds comfort in the magical Lunar Library, guided by Luna, the library’s princess and librarian. The story explores the importance of storytelling, identity, and discovering where you belong in the world. Director Victoria Junker clearly embraced the play’s whimsical structure, allowing the production to move fluidly through different genres, time periods, and literary worlds.\n\nOne of the strongest aspects was the ensemble work. With extensive multi-casting, actors shifted between multiple roles with distinct physicality, voices, and energy. Despite this complexity, there was never a dull moment. The cast remained fully committed throughout, and that energy carried directly into the audience. The transitions between scenes never felt like pauses in the action; instead, they became part of the storytelling itself. Scenes melted seamlessly into one another, keeping the audience immersed in the world of the play the entire time.\n\nThe technical elements strengthened this contrast between fantasy and reality beautifully. Special recognition also goes to the students behind the visual world of the production, particularly Vishnu for set design, along with Anya, Radhika, Gurleen, and Lizzy for costumes, props, and set contributions. The set design creatively captured the wonder of the fantasy world, while the costumes added personality and clarity to the many different characters and time periods explored throughout the play. Considering the huge amount of costume changes required for the extensive multi-casting, the costume changes felt smooth and organized, helping the momentum of the story never slow down.\n\nAmong the standout performances, Temiloluwa Dunmola’s Smudge delivered constant energy and humour without ever becoming a one-note comic sidekick, balancing playful chaos with charm and making every entrance exciting. The Bookkeepers themselves brought delightful unpredictability, each representing a different form of storytelling and fully embracing their exaggerated, contrasting personalities, making every new scene feel fresh while still fitting cohesively into the whole. Notably Iniya Kanchana Anbumani brought both elegance and warmth to Luna, perfectly capturing the balance between royal authority and approachable kindness that made her such a compelling guide.\n\nAt its core, Jesse and the Bookkeepers is about stories: the worlds they create, the comfort they provide, and the courage they inspire in people. Aurora Academic Charter School’s production captured that message with sincerity and imagination, encouraging viewers to see stories not as escapism, but as a way of understanding themselves and finding connection with others.","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/local-arts/alberta-youth-theatre-collective-reviews-aurora-charter-schools-jesse-and-the-bookkeepers","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/anb00339_303372169.jpeg","publishedAt":"2026-05-27T01:25:40.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Local Arts","Theatre"],"authorName":"Edmonton Journal","contentHtml":"\"Students

The Edmonton Journal is proud to host reviews of local high school theatrical productions, written by student reviewers through the Alberta Youth Theatre Collective. Reviews of past shows can be found here

The worlds between the pages

Hunter Lafleur, M.E LaZerte High School

Where stories breathe beyond their pages and imagination reshapes reality, Aurora Academic Charter School’s Jesse and the Bookkeepers, written by Emma Spires and directed by Victoria Junker, transforms the stage into a living world where narrative, performer, and audience blur into shared discovery.

A key element of Jesse and the Bookkeepers was its stylized set design. With layered staging, distinct visual planes, and modular structures, the production created a sense of movement and discovery while maintaining clear audience focus. The separation of foreground, middle-ground, and background planes allowed for multiple areas of action to exist simultaneously without feeling cluttered, emphasizing the play’s energetic pacing and imaginative momentum. Particular attention was paid to the design of the book covers, whose varied colors, typography, and illustrative styles reflected the genre and emotional tones of the stories they represented. Collectively, these visual design choices created a sense of childlike wonder, inviting the audience to experience the play with the immersive curiosity of getting lost in a favorite book.

One stellar performance to spotlight is Adrianne Yue, an ensemble member who portrayed multiple distinct roles, demonstrating strong understanding of character transitions through shifts in physicality, vocal tone, and status. Yue differentiated each character through precise changes in mannerisms, variations in posture, gesture, and speech to clearly establish separate characters. Her ability to move between more restrained, low-status roles such as Doom to more assertive high-status characters like the Evil Queen, ensured that each transition was immediately legible to the audience without breaking the flow of the performance.

Yue also demonstrated strong rhythmic timing and awareness, by consistently aligning her performance with the production’s backing tracks and extended sound cues. This precision was particularly noticeable during a commedia dell’arte-inspired sequence, where her timing and physical control were essential to the landing of the slapstick humour. Her ability to remain tightly in sync with both the musical rhythm and the ensemble’s comedic pacing enhanced the clarity and impact of the entire group’s physical comedy.

Another strong element of Jesse and the Bookekeepers was its complex costume design, spearheaded by Anya Saini, Gurleen Shoker, Radhika Sharma and Lizzy Vandament. The use of color and texture were essential in establishing character identity and status, particularly in the contrast between Luna Moon and her sister Princess Selene. Selene’s black dress conveyed authority, elegance, and a sense of darkness, while Luna Moon’s silver costume suggested lightness, purity, and a more ethereal presence. Together, the contrasting palettes visually reinforced their differing roles in the narrative and made their relationship immediately evident to the audience

Taken together, the cast and crew of Jesse and the Bookkeepers created a production that was both technically imaginative and emotionally resonant, transforming the stage into a living storybook where Aurora’s dedicated audience, amazing performers were invited to lose themselves within the wonder of storytelling.

\"

Finding a place beyond the page

Mikaela Cabalo, Oscar Romero Catholic High School

Stories often begin within the pages of a book, but this production vividly brings them to life. Aurora Charter School’s production of Jesse and the Bookkeepers transformed the stage into a fantastical world where every performance and technical element gave nothing but complete star power.

Jesse and the Bookkeepers is a one act dramedy that follows shy teenager Jesse, who escapes into books to hide from a world she doesn’t quite fit into. When the enchanted library she frequents is put into danger, she is pulled into a whirlwind of books where she must reorganize the muddled stories to stop the evil princess Selene from rewriting history. With the help of the librarian, Jesse discovers throughout her adventure that sometimes the bravest thing a person can do is to step beyond the pages they hide behind and find their place in the world.

As the troublemaking Smudge, Temiloluwa Dunmola may not have been a Bookkeeper, but he was certainly a sublime show-stealer. With his wide-eyed gaze, prim and posh accent, and hilariously exaggerated physicality, he was able to instantly seize the audience’s attention and enthrall them with his effortless command of the stage. Alongside Dunmola was Jude Alzo’bi as Selene. Alzo’bi’s regal cadence and dark-hearted attitude provided a spellbinding and distinguishable performance that proficiently captured the essence of a wicked fantasy villain. Dunmola’s and Alzo’bi’s antagonistic characterizations were both refreshing and enticing. Together as mastermind and minion, they amusingly balanced drama and comedy, demonstrating that playing evil can bring out unexpected comedic flair.

In theatre, there’s a famous aphorism that says “theatre is a team sport.” When it came to this production’s ensemble, their chemistry and unified stage presence made that sentiment unmistakably true and clear. Each and every ensemble member proved that there are truly no small parts in theatre as they brought unique personalities to their characters throughout scenes of comedy, tragedy, and stage combat. Their collective dedication and enthusiasm was evident from start to finish; the ensemble brought an electrifying level of energy that was off-the-charts and kept every scene vibrant and engaging.

In a nearly hour-long show, it would seem nearly impossible to have a single person design the lighting for an entire production. Yet for Yorsalem Telda, it seemed like a feat carried out with ease, shaping the magical atmosphere with a colourful array of hues—an effect that seamlessly extended into this production’s whimsical set design. A towering door resembling a book stood at the heart of the set, which served as an excellent element that pulled the audience into the wonder of the library setting, bringing a sense of joy and escapism through its immersive fantasy.

This production by Aurora Charter School’s cast and crew exhibited a fierce passion for creativity and artistry, exemplifying that storytelling thrives when imagination and collaboration comes together on stage.

\"

Opening a new chapter

Katelynn Engel, Morinville Community HIgh School

Aurora Academic Charter School’s production of Jesse And The Bookkeepers, written by Emma Spires, is one you can get lost in, much like reading a good book.

The moment I entered the space and saw the towering set pieces designed to resemble books, I was intrigued to discover what stories I would witness that night.

Jesse And The Bookkeepers follows Jesse, a shy and lonely child who finds comfort within the Lunar Library. When the library – and the world itself – are threatened, Jesse embarks on a journey through stories and time periods alongside Luna, a mysterious princess librarian, and the magical Bookkeepers to stop Selene and her sidekick Smudge from rewriting history. Through this adventure, Jesse gains confidence and learns to connect with the real world instead of hiding within books.

The first thing I wrote down in my notes was about the costumes. Each character had a unique design that perfectly reflected their personalities and traits. The costumes I especially loved were those of Luna Moon, played by Iniya Kanchana Anbumani, and Selene, played by Jude Alzo’bi. These young women portrayed sisters – one good, one evil. Anbumani wore a gorgeous white dress scattered with crescent moon patterns, accompanied by a large silver headpiece. Alzo’bi wore a nearly identical outfit, except hers was black instead of white. However, the costumes were only one part of what brought these characters to life. Both actresses were dynamic in their portrayals and seemed to truly understand their roles. They presented their conflicting motives wonderfully while still maintaining a believable sister-like resemblance.

One moment I want to highlight occurs near the end of the play. As the ensemble surrounds Selene, she thrusts out her hands and the entire ensemble falls into a perfectly synchronized wave-like motion. It was a powerful and impressive moment that completely captivated me. As someone who has participated in similar ensemble work, I understand how much commitment and coordination it takes to create such a unified performance. To this, I say: bravo.

To close this chapter, I want to mention two actors who stood out to me because of their devotion to their characters. Temiloluwa Dunmola, in the role of Smudge, was a wonder to observe. Anytime he was on stage, my eyes were drawn to his performance, whether he was the focus of the scene or not. Dunmola delivered many comedic lines, expressions, and mannerisms with confidence and charm.

Secondly, I want to put Adrianna Yue in the spotlight for a moment. Yue portrayed four or more characters throughout the play, and each one felt just as authentic as the last. Yue, a Grade 9 student, should be incredibly proud of the dedication and effort she put into this production.

It felt as though these two actors truly lived their roles rather than simply playing them.

This fantasy-filled journey is one I am grateful to have had the pleasure of embarking on.

\"

Heartfelt and hilarious

Stella Jentner, McNally High School

For Aurora Academic charter school’s first production, Jesse and the Bookkeepers is a heartfelt and hilarious production. This drama-comedy is a well put together show full of small, but entertaining vignettes full of laughs and interesting stories. It was a good first impression and I am excited to see what they do next.

Jesse and the Bookkeepers was written by Emma Spires, she wrote this play as an option for larger classes, by filling it with small vignettes so every student had a chance to shine. The play follows our main character Jesse, a shy and lonely girl, who spends her time reading books at the local library, called the Lunar Library. However when an evil princess named Selene attempts to rewrite history and rule the world, Jesse is forced to join the librarian Luna, and her magical Bookkeepers, on an epic adventure through many different stories and legends to save the world.

One of my favourite aspects of this show was the set. Specifically the way the backgrounds were painted. They only had a few set pieces but they used them incredibly well, and there was so much detail and effort that went into painting them. Especially the large life size book that sits centerstage. Clearly Anya, Gurleen, Radhika, and Lizzy worked very hard on these pieces , and it shows in the quality of the set pieces.

While all the actors worked incredibly hard the character who stood out the most was Smudge, Selene’s henchman, played by Temiluluwa Dunmola. He was so energetic and full of life on stage, and his facial expressions were everything. He had amazing reactions and played off of Selene’s seriousness in the best way possible. Even though he was a villain I couldn’t help but fall in love with his characterization, and would search him out in every scene.

This show was a very enjoyable production, Aurora Academic Charter school has shown their willingness to put in lots of work to make a good quality show. They have a large cast of talented actors and I cannot wait to see what show they put on next year.

\"

Between pages and worlds

Navdeep Kaur, McNally High School

Aurora Academic Charter School’s production of Jesse and the Bookkeepers felt like stepping into a storybook where every page turned faster than expected, yet never lost its heart. Blending comedy, fantasy, and drama, the production created a world that constantly shifted between imagination and reality while still remaining emotionally grounded. Written by Emma Spiers, Jesse and the Bookkeepers follows Jesse, a shy young girl who finds comfort in the magical Lunar Library, guided by Luna, the library’s princess and librarian. The story explores the importance of storytelling, identity, and discovering where you belong in the world. Director Victoria Junker clearly embraced the play’s whimsical structure, allowing the production to move fluidly through different genres, time periods, and literary worlds.

One of the strongest aspects was the ensemble work. With extensive multi-casting, actors shifted between multiple roles with distinct physicality, voices, and energy. Despite this complexity, there was never a dull moment. The cast remained fully committed throughout, and that energy carried directly into the audience. The transitions between scenes never felt like pauses in the action; instead, they became part of the storytelling itself. Scenes melted seamlessly into one another, keeping the audience immersed in the world of the play the entire time.

The technical elements strengthened this contrast between fantasy and reality beautifully. Special recognition also goes to the students behind the visual world of the production, particularly Vishnu for set design, along with Anya, Radhika, Gurleen, and Lizzy for costumes, props, and set contributions. The set design creatively captured the wonder of the fantasy world, while the costumes added personality and clarity to the many different characters and time periods explored throughout the play. Considering the huge amount of costume changes required for the extensive multi-casting, the costume changes felt smooth and organized, helping the momentum of the story never slow down.

Among the standout performances, Temiloluwa Dunmola’s Smudge delivered constant energy and humour without ever becoming a one-note comic sidekick, balancing playful chaos with charm and making every entrance exciting. The Bookkeepers themselves brought delightful unpredictability, each representing a different form of storytelling and fully embracing their exaggerated, contrasting personalities, making every new scene feel fresh while still fitting cohesively into the whole. Notably Iniya Kanchana Anbumani brought both elegance and warmth to Luna, perfectly capturing the balance between royal authority and approachable kindness that made her such a compelling guide.

At its core, Jesse and the Bookkeepers is about stories: the worlds they create, the comfort they provide, and the courage they inspire in people. Aurora Academic Charter School’s production captured that message with sincerity and imagination, encouraging viewers to see stories not as escapism, but as a way of understanding themselves and finding connection with others.

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