By: Hayley Strahs

Editor-in-Chief

As the school year comes to a close, the LGHS Drama Department has been busy. In March, LGHS’s thespian troupe attended the California State Thespian Festival, a prominent theater competition held at Pomona College in Claremont. Freshman stage technician Tre Caruso described the event as “eye opening”; he loved witnessing “everything from prop building to stage combat to directing.” Caruso originally signed up for the Stage Tech elective to fill his Visual Arts credit, but he quickly fell in love with building sets and props. At the festival, Caruso received a Superior Score in Property Design for a telescope prop he made, qualifying him for the International Thespian Festival in June.

Soon after arriving at LGHS, Drama and Stage Tech teacher Benjamin Brotzman took LGHS’s thespian troupe, an after-school theater club, to the next level. Going forward, Brotzman wants students to be “locked into what [the Thespian Troupe] is, what it should be, what it can be, and just showing [students] what kind of potential this group has.” While the group is “still in its growing phase,” Brotzman hopes to establish and expand its presence within younger classes and the community as a whole. Regarding his Drama and Stage Tech classes, Brotzman reflected on students’ enthusiasm and drive: “Students jump in with both feet and really try to do their best work and have a good time at the same time.”

On May 14, students continued a long-standing LGHS Drama tradition: the one-act. Every year, students direct and produce a one-act show following the conclusion of the Spring Musical. Less than a week after Hadestown closed, auditions for an abridged version of The Addams Family were in full swing. Senior and director Morgan Lum specifically chose The Addams Family for the one-act because “a lot of people are familiar with the franchise, the music is really fun, and you can do a lot with the costumes.” The Addams Family musical follows the family’s reaction when the stoic Wednesday Addams – played by sophomore Lyla DeLaOssa – brings home the normal and cheerful Lucas Beineke – played by sophomore Ren Milos – and introduces him as her boyfriend. The show is dance-heavy, and senior Alisa Freeman had a blast choreographing it. Freeman has been dancing for nearly fifteen years, but The Addams Family was her first time choreographing. She shared, “It’s really fun to be able to take everything I’ve learned as a dancer and apply it and teach others and share my love of dance.” Despite the spooky ghost ensemble and dark aesthetic, the show’s dance numbers are lively.

Between the revival of an official Drama class, the growth of LGHS’s thespian troupe, and numerous successful performances, the LGHS Drama program had an productive and eventful year, with many more to follow. Be on the lookout for audition information for next year’s shows!