Today's topic stretches beyond the classroom to the tremendous student work conducted in the evenings in the theater. I asked student co-directors of the winter play, Jen and Franny, to share some of their thoughts on the process of planning, rehearsing, and directing a full length show all by themselves. The following text and video clip share their story: 



"It was last Spring when we decided that in the Winter of 2012 we would be directing, months later we decided on The Odd Couple, and now less than a week away we are having our opening night."



"We have had 'on' days and 'off' days throughout the ten week term and have learned so much about directing. Through this whole process, we both agree that we have developed a new appreciation for drama and theater directors Michael Littman and Terry Stoecker."



"Through our four years at Proctor, we both have been involved with a variety of tasks: acting, tech work, costume design, and more. While our prior experiences trained us well, nothing could have fully prepared us for the challenging task of directing our peers."


(if you are having trouble viewing this video, please try this link) 

"It’s been fun to get to know our actors and spend time with them every night. We feel fortunate that we have been able to spend time in the theater teaching and spreading what we have learned to some students who are relatively new to theater."



"On top of a senior load of school work, being involved in two sports and directing the play, there are new challenges that come during the day, but it has taught me how to be an effective leader and it will be exciting when opening night arrives and all of our hard work is put on display."



"There have definitely been moments where it’s hard to keep the focus, keep the positive energy, but it has taught us so much about learning alongside others while keeping everything in perspective."



"Although, this won’t be the last theater thing we involve ourself with, it will be something that made our high school career so incredible and memorable. We brought our individual talents of drama together, created a team, put the time in, learned valuable lessons about teamwork and responsibility, and came out with what we feel is a great result!"

The Odd Couple shows Friday February 24th and Saturday February 25th at 7:00 pm in the Norris Family Theater. Thank you once again to Chuck Will for images.