As larger than life set pieces trundle across the c-wing hallway, and done-up actors flit around the tech classroom refurbished into a backstage green room, audience members file in and take their seats for the annual Senior-Directed Play Festival. Underclassmen actors and technicians took to the stage Wednesday, April 30 and Thursday, May 1, to perform the final mainstage productions of the year, Don Zolidis’ The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon and Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.
The play festival offered the directors, all of whom were experienced Westwood Theatre actors and technicians, a chance to take on the new mantle of full creative control, leading every aspect of the production from play selection to auditions and casting to blocking and execution. For seniors, the festival also served as an opportunity to pay forward similar experiences from their earlier high school years.
“When I was an underclassman, I always looked forward to the senior directed plays because of the opportunities it provided me as an actor and the camaraderie [they] built,” director Vince Pham ‘25 said. “This year, after being granted the opportunity to direct my own senior-directed show, my main goal was to provide my actors with a memorable experience they’ll always hold onto.”
Another one of the chief goals of the process is to create a space for freshmen and sophomores who might otherwise find it difficult to establish footing in the program via the open auditions for other mainstage shows like the fall show or the University Interscholastic League (UIL) One-Act Play. For many performers, their Senior-Directed Play was their first performance outside the bounds of the Acting Production coursework.
“Senior-Directed [Play Festival] was an amazing first high school theatre performance,” actor Maya Bassett ‘29 said. “I made many new friendships and unforgettable memories. I can’t wait to do it again next year.”
In addition to allowing younger technicians to experience the process of programming, fitting, and running cues for a show, technical senior directors Nathan Spector, Mason Jacob, and Conall Coats had the opportunity to take charge of designing the show, and push the envelope of scenic design choices typically traditional of Westwood Theatre shows.
“Set design has always been important to me,” said Jacob, who was a technical director. “It informs so much about the show, blocking, lighting and so much more. I came up with the general idea of the set one night, and worked with the other directors to create something that was appealing, functional and achievable to build in the time we had.”
Despite the fast pace of the rehearsal process and with only a little over a month separating auditions and opening night, the actors and directors were able to follow through on their ambitions for the shows and create a tight-knit company along the way.
“More than anything, the reason I do theatre is the community,” Jacob said. “Being a director, I have gotten to mentor and watch the growth of so many actors and technicians. That has always been the most gratifying part of theatre for me.”
