Seniors of Green Room took the stage for final bows as they directed One Acts.

The act of performing arts builds character, as it has been doing for some of the very talented actors/actresses since grade one.

“I’ve been doing theater since first grade. I started because my teacher had us do this thing called Thursday theater where we would get scripts that started the week, and then we practice and then perform on a little stage,” said senior Seamus Green.

Theater captures the hearts of many people and has set paths for bright futures and even brighter outlooks upon performing and related life simulations in general.

“It’s very motivating. It’s had a positive effect because it’s nice to have somewhere to be able to spend your time,” said senior Wendy Keane.

We watch actors/actresses behind screens all the time, but the directors play an all too important role to be glossed over.

“When you’re the director, you’re trying to get what’s in your head on the stage through other people. You develop a vision. It’s a lot of luck and compromise,” said senior Graham Gatewood.

Being a director means taking charge, yet it can be difficult to put one’s foot down when time calls for it. Theatre is a great place to practice such skills, allowing student actors to engage in these leadership roles.

“It’s really great that I already know these people, and I’m so close with them because they’re able to understand where I’m at, but it’s also hard because, if we have to be strict with them, we don’t want them to take it the wrong way,” said senior Haley Polfliet.

Coming up with storylines for theatre is a rather long process. These senior students express how well a show can be made in only a span of such few days.

“We had an initial play setup, but it got too complicated. So, we kept the single idea of the character coming from the audience in the initial scene, and she can come from a magic show. And then we’re like, let’s make it an evil magic show. Then we’re like, let’s make an evil carnival. And there’s a magic show in the evil carnival, and then we wrote the play,” said senior Charlotte Shafer.

Preparations for a show can take just as long as coming up with a storyline, but arguably involve more work to ensure these visions are carried out.

“You only have an hour after school as opposed to like three and a half which we normally get. So we have to cram a lot of stuff into just those, so it’s pretty fast paced. Our crew is really amazing. It’s definitely what ties together the entire show,” Keane and Shafer said.

Theatre teaches students and its participants many life skills that are important for present and future needs and acts.

“I think anyone should join theatre to learn more about communication and leadership and how people can learn ways to reach out to others. There’s a lot of vulnerability coming up with all of these ideas, and then just laying them out there for everyone,” said senior Owen Leavitt and Polfliet.

What’s more welcoming than a loving environment of students and props to draw in curious gazes and minds of new students who are interested in the art of performance?

“Our shows specifically encourage people to go for it and put themselves out there because, once you get over that hurdle with acting, there’s so much to do and it’s incredibly fulfilling for people to show that,” Gatewood said.

Though the seniors’ high school theatre career may be over, some of their performance lives are just beginning, as they strive to grow to a whole new level.

`“My dream job is to be a director. It’d be cool to write my own movies. So, it’s neat getting this experience from being an actor to being a director. Seeing it from both sides of both perspectives of theater is really cool,” Leavitt said.