Photograph by Dai Sugano

Kennedy Middle School seventh graders Lauren Chuck (left), Jennifer Lee and Alexis Green put the finishing touches on the sets for their play, 'The Jester Has Lost His Jingle,' in December. The play, a benefit for cancer patients, debuts at the school Jan. 12.

Jester is the best medicine

By Jeff Kearns

Heidi Bletchman, a drama teacher at Kennedy Middle School, fell in love with the book The Jester Has Lost His Jingle as soon as she heard about it. She has since adapted it for a stage production, which her drama students will debut Jan. 12 in a performance that doubles as a fundraiser for cancer support groups.

The children's book was written by David Saltzman, a college student who later died of cancer, and tells the story of a jester who searches for laughter in a glum world.

"It's about the importance of getting involved and helping other people," Bletchman says. "And that laughter is the best medicine."

At Kennedy, Bletchman teaches Students in Spotlight, a yearlong drama class. Her sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students have been working on the production since school started in September. Seventh-grader Steve Noorberg plays the Jester.

The late author's mother, Barbara Saltzman, will attend the school's performance to sign copies of the book.

After opening night at Kennedy, Bletchman and her 29 students will take their show on the road, performing later this month at three area elementary schools (Regnart, McAuliffe and Lincoln) and at the Cupertino Senior Center.

Proceeds from the show will go to Parents Against Cancer, a Southern California-based nonprofit group that has donated tens of thousands of copies of the Jester book to pediatric cancer patients and other hospitalized children around the country. For every book sold by Kennedy students and staff, Barbara Saltzman, the book's publisher, will donate one copy to a South Bay hospital.

The student-actors also plan to present copies of the book to children in the pediatric cancer units at Valley Medical Center and the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital.

The Jester's story begins one morning when he wakes to find that there's no more laughter in his kingdom. He goes on a mission to find out where it went. He meets a little girl with a tumor, who helps him realize that laughter is inside everyone.

The story was oddly prophetic for David Saltzman, a cartoonist studying English and art at Yale University, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease after he began the book. He finished the book before he died from the lymphatic cancer in 1990 at age 22. His mother, Barbara, a former arts and entertainment editor at The Los Angeles Times, and her husband, Joe, a journalism professor at USC, tried to get the book published in its original form, but later wound up publishing it themselves by taking out a second mortgage on their home.

Bletchman says the story behind the story was part of the reason she fell in love with the book three years ago, when she discovered it while working for her teaching credential.

"The message is so wonderful because the author was going through some very difficult times, and he was able to remember the importance of laughter and helping others," Bletchman says. "And this [play] is so important to students not just to learn acting, but also that they can help teach other students about important values and how to be a good member of society."

The Jester Has Lost His Jingle plays (along with Being New, another play written by Bletchman) on Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Kennedy Middle School, 821 Bubb Road at Hyannisport Drive. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children. Call 408.253.1525 for more information, or check www.jesterbook.com for information about the book.

Sheriff's Report

It's hard to export what America has become

Sports Briefs

Tidal Waves win Cup tournament

Roth wins, sets AAU bench press record