As a member of the i2 program, much of my academic career has mainly focused on various aspects of academia. However, throughout the course of my freshman year, I realized I needed somewhat of a break from it all, or at least a side hobby. And that “side hobby” developed into a full-scale immersion into the world of the dramatic arts!
I never imagined myself as an actor in middle school, but as I graduated into my first year of high school, my interests changed. As an act of “dipping my feet into the water,” I stage managed for SHC’s 2022 Fall Production, The Play that Goes Wrong, an opportunity to make new friends and join a wonderful community of actors and technicians, working together to create a masterpiece. Later on, it led me to discover a yearning passion for the dramatic arts, as I became the Assistant Director of Frankenstein, the 2023 Fall Production, written by our amazing drama department director, Mr. Morris.
It was amazing to work alongside the entire cast, as I found everyone to be even more supportive than the year prior. Even though I was merely a sophomore, a lower-class student directing upperclassmen who have been in the theater community years longer than I had, everyone maintained a great sense of respect and determination. Through months of grueling legwork, mastering the art of “set transitions,” and memorizing a multitude of blocking, dialogue, and cues, our production was finally ready for opening night on October 27, 2023.
It was a full house for the 6 nights we performed- the initial in-school performance, opening weekend, the “brush-up” outreach performance, and finally, closing weekend. Closing weekend was a truly heartfelt experience that I will never forget. I couldn’t express my gratitude towards the entire cast and crew, merely with words, and I look forward to the SHC drama productions to come.