With the curtains drawn back and the beaming faces on stage, the NFHS drama department showcased their two first shows of the year on Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19: “A Piece of My Heart” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” They performed “A Piece of My Heart” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” premiering at 7 p.m. on Oct. 18 and two showings, one at 2 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 19. The theater department is gushing with excitement as they prepare for the shows this week. But, how were they able to put on a show in such a quick amount of time, and what are these shows about?

The one act play, “A Piece of My Heart” is about six women and their experiences during the Vietnam War. The women each come from different backgrounds, but come together to survive the war. The women are played by Kara Cobb as Sissy, Mattie Hinckley as MaryJo, Sydney Jarrard as Whitney, Hannah Potter as Steele, and Samantha Sayar as Leeann.

However, picking the cast for any play is tough as Mr. Walden had to narrow down the list of 60 auditionees to 16, who were called back for a second audition. Mr. Walden explains that there are “usually a lot of incredibly talented people that could fill the roll and typically someone is disappointed.” However, Mr. Walden was able to pick an amazing cast for the performances. 

“It is a show that I am incredibly proud of… It’s one of my absolute positive outcomes.I’m proud of my students [because] they’ve done a lot of research to find out what it was like for those women, so they could act it out to its potential in a fair and equal way.”  

Samantha Sayar also reflects on the work done by the cast, saying that she is “really excited to see how it will come together on the stage” as “the cast has worked very hard  [on the plays].” Through the work done, the cast and crew for this play were excited to see how it would act out this past weekend.

Another show that was featured is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which is a 60 minute version of the Shakespearean play with a comedic and fantastical love story. Some of the cast members include Tyler Sheridan as Theseus, Brian Anderson as Egeus, Jordan Fowler as Hippolyta, and Zander Sparkman as Philostrate. The play was featured along with “A Piece of My Heart,” both being one act plays. 

Mr. Walden exclaims that he is “excited to see those students have their success,” especially as each student has put dedication into their roles and performing to the best they can be. The theater department was bustling with excitement last weekend, excited for what is to come for the rest of the year.