Arbor View students go on with show after deaths of two friends

Arbor View High School's Crimson Players have taken their opening night bows, but Marcus Robinson's script still sits on his bed, open to page 26.

"His room is exactly how he left it," said his mother, Karen Adams. "I haven't touched anything, except I picked up the dirty clothes."

Robinson, 16, who was cast as the lead in the school's musical "Wendy," which debuted at the campus theater Tuesday, died Jan. 17 of an accidental gunshot wound. The shooting followed, by a day, the death of another Arbor View High School theater student, Jordan Kaghazi.

Kaghazi, 18, who was set to appear in the chorus for "Wendy," committed suicide Jan. 16.

In an effort to help students deal with the loss of their classmates, and to reorganize the production, the theater department postponed the show for more than a month.

"A lot of us just weren't ready to come back," said Keanu Wilson, 17.

During the break, the Crimson Players found ways to remember their friends.

A memorial plaque for Kaghazi and one for Robinson were placed on seats in the theater, and two "ghost chairs" are reserved so the boys can come back to watch any show.

"My house capacity is 452 now, not 454," theater teacher David Kelley said. "We want to embrace that they're still with us."

In another tribute to the two boys, pig prints were painted on the stage for Kaghazi, who was referred to affectionately as Ham for his quick sense of humor. Paw prints were painted for Robinson, who was called Black Bear.

Students wear bracelets and pins to remember their friends, and talk about them often.

"Jordan came into it late, but you could tell he had the passion for acting; and Marcus, you knew you were going to see him on the big screen," Wilson said.

Robinson's mother picked a seat located third-row center for her son's plaque. She plans to be at every play the school stages, at least until he would have graduated. But she thought "Wendy" would be the toughest play to sit through.

"I'm not watching Josh (Lamb) tonight," Adams said of the student playing the lead character. "I'm watching Marcus. Today is Marcus' day. I'll come back tomorrow and watch Josh. I'm laughing with him and crying at the same time. It would have been his first on-screen kiss. He would have tried so hard to make it all perfect."

Adams said her son was so excited when he learned he had been cast as the lead in "Wendy." They celebrated his achievement that Friday night, and the next day he was gone.

Spending time with her only son's friends has helped Adams deal with her loss.

"I have to stay positive because if I didn't, it would hurt too much," Adams said as tears welled in her eyes. "I lift them up, and these kids lift me up."

Michael Swift, a cast member who remembers both boys as close friends, said everyone wanted to make the show great because Robinson and Kaghazi were supposed to be there with them.

"It started off really hard," said theater student Rusty Strobeck. "It's for them now. We pulled it together and worked really hard on it."

Wilson said the cast is "not worried about screwing up for the people out there." Instead, he said, "We want to make this perfect for them."

"It's hard getting up there; but if they were here right now, they wouldn't want us moping around," said Nico Munoz. "It's hard, but we do it to make them smile."

Kelley and his wife, school psychologist Nicole Kelley, said they have seen the theater students become more serious in the past few months.

"They have seen more than any high school kid ever should," David Kelley said. "But now, they're doing this for Jordan and Marcus."

Celebrating after the show, the students congratulated each other and laughed about little mistakes that were made, but the conversation quickly turned back to their friends who weren't there.

"I think we did a really good job, but Marcus would have rocked the stage," Wilson said. "The boy had so much soul it was amazing."

Wilson said he thought about both of his friends while he performed. Robinson was especially on his mind, because he was with him when the accident happened.

"Marcus, he lit everything up," Wilson said. "He was the sunshine of our stage. And Jordan, he was the goofball. Any prank that was going on, he was involved. Whatever work I do in the future, I'll be bringing both of them with me. They're my motivation."

Contact Henderson View reporter Lauren Romano at lromano@viewnews.com or 477-3839.