“It’s perfect.” On the floor of the common room after school, the drama club members hold up their newly completed set piece, a kitschy poster prop for their upcoming spoof play, complete with marker letters and real lipstick kisses. Drama Club president Lucy Reidy ‘25, along with Belle Maxim ‘27, spent about ten minutes curating every mark, reapplying lipstick when needed. Meanwhile, other club members have filed in, creating a circle on the carpet, chatting about their days and reminiscing about inside jokes. At 2 PM, Ms. Dunlevy, the club advisor, announces from afar, “Drama Club assemble in my classroom!” Here, they take a few minutes to discuss the logistics of this afternoon’s first dress rehearsal, less than a week away from opening night. Dunlevy reveals they will be in the auditorium today. Everyone cheers.
The auditorium, which is in high demand all year with rehearsals for the international
show, band and chorus performances, and other city events, is hard to schedule. Drama Club often finds itself to be last in line when it comes to grabbing these limited slots, which can make rehearsals challenging. Despite this, the club has done their best blocking out scenes in Dunlevy’s class and common room. And, theater people know that what happens on stage is just the tip of the iceberg. The average play utilizes a hundred other people backstage to make everything run smoothly—South High Drama’s biggest challenge and outstanding quality is that they have about twenty people total, meaning that every member works overtime to do, well, everything. This fact only speaks to the true nature of South High Drama Club: here, everyone can be an actor, a stage crew person, or a set designer. During rehearsals, everybody works together to change parts, coordinate different scenes, and determine stage places, all while standing in for missing members. The multifacetedness of these individuals is not only an advantage, but necessary to the efficiency of the club—especially because they’ve had to go with the flow pretty often. “We’ve had a lot of challenges over the years, but I believe it’s made us and our members stronger,” says Reidy.
You would assume that a group as small as Drama Club would be in over its head, scrambling to throw things together and neglecting certain elements along the way. However, the Drama Club members run a tight ship, and this is largely due to the camaraderie of the group. Not only are these people passionate about theater with a goal to do it well, but they’re all friends. They can be honest with and supportive of one another, all while having fun—and they certainly have a lot of it. “[Drama Club] is such a safe space to go and have fun after a long day and meet with people who are just as passionate about theater as you,” says Reidy, “Inclusivity and acceptance is something we stress to make sure we all safe and welcome, and that’s a really special thing to have in today’s world.” There’s truly something magical about that circle of friends hidden away in the common room at the end of the hall, decorating poster board, laughing, and connecting.
Of course, nothing in theater is ever really “perfect”, but that’s the beauty of it—the thrill of each new performance, slightly different than the last; the challenge of adapting to mishaps in the moment; or the fragility of the characters you play, a crack on the surface revealing the vulnerable self beneath; how human it all can be. South High Drama Club paints a stunning picture of this on stage—come see it in real time this Wednesday and Thursday!