DGN’s theater program has put on many successful shows in the past couple of years. This year’s seniors, specifically, have been a great asset to the many plays, musicals, and shows that the school has produced. The seniors have made the theater program a welcoming environment for all the people involved. The program brings many unlikely pairs together, fostering lifelong relationships amongst its members. The theater program does much more than produce theater shows, it has uplifted members in more ways than one.
“Just give theater a try. If you don’t love it, it’s not your thing, you can at least say you’ve tried it. There’s a place for everyone if you don’t want to do acting, join the crew,” senior Sarah Nevril said. “There’s quite literally something that anyone who loves art or just to be themselves, they would love theater. It’s something that anyone can do. It’s great, join it, just give it a try.”
Theater has a place for everyone. There are a lot of different people, and different components that go into DGN’s production. It may be behind scenes, but everything helps in the theater world.
“My most memorable moment would probably be the “Six” shows,” Neveril said. “They were just great, some of my favorite shows we’ve done here. It’s the kind of show where people can kind of interact with us on stage and hoot and holler and not be confined to clapping after the song.”
Neveril has been performing on stage for the majority of her life. Getting to be on stage is one her greatest passions. Although her career is coming to an end, she’ll take all of her experinces to heart.
“I’ve been doing theater literally since I was four. I can’t imagine myself existing without a part of me that does theater. That is just such a big part of who I am,” Nevril said. “It’s just taught me so much about work ethic and self confidence and how to take criticism. Everything that I think I’ve learned and used in my daily life, I’ve in part learned from theater.”
In theatre, students learn to strengthen their artistic skill sets. They are taught how to give more convincing acting performances and how to strengthen their singing techniques. But they are also introduced to a large set of life skills that can be applied daily.
“Some of the skills I’ve learned through theater are just how to present yourself. Auditions for shows are going to be similar to job interviews, just a way to present yourself and be like ‘here’s me this is what I have to offer,’” senior Kate France said. “Being able to get in front of people and say what you want to say and do your thing is a very valuable skill that everyone in theater learns how to do.”
France will be going to New York University in the fall to study theater. She first realized that she wanted to pursue theater as a career after she had done the school’s play “Lost Girl.” A couple months following the play, France was at her local theater, and was recognized by a kid. He complimented her performance in “Lost Girl” and she broke down in tears.
“I decided I wanted to do theater just because I love the environment, and the people that are in it are so kind, and I just love being able to create a story that impacts other people,” France said.
Impacting people through performance is a powerful thing. A lot of the time, people are impacted by the others around them. That’s why it’s important to create an environment that everyone feels they can be a part of.
“The truth is, the biggest impact you have as a person is how you make other people feel,” theatre director Ariel Mozes said. “The seniors have done a really great job of making a bunch of the underclassmen feel special and welcomed and important. There’s a really great degree of this sense of belonging, and the seniors do a really great job of making people feel that way.”
Mozes has been with the school for the past four years. He started his career here with the now seniors at DGN, and has seen them evolve and grow over the years.
“It’s really fun to see a lot of the seniors and the trajectory they’ve kind of gone on,” Mozes said. “There are some kids that I’ve literally had since their first show freshman year and they’ve all blossomed and grown into really, really amazing performers. There have been some kids that their freshman year you could barely hear them on stage and you could barely see them from the back row but now all of a sudden they’re leads in the front of the show and they’re just kicking butt.”
The musical “All Shook Up” will debut at DGN the week of April 24. This will be the last show of the seniors’ high school careers.
“It’s gonna be incredible. This is such a fun show, it’s about music, love, friendship, and it’s about what makes everyone special,” Mozes said. “The set is gonna be amazing, the music is incredible, the acting is out of this world, and I think if people come see the show they’re gonna leave smiling and having a good time.”
