Putnam City High School presented Steel Magnolias one-act play October 24th through October 26th.
A successful play begins by having good quality actors and a good staff and crew. Many students would like a chance to be involved in the play. Every teacher once upon a time was a student with an interest. The theater teacher, Ms. Dees, is an example of a former student pursuing a passion into adulthood.
“I became interested in theater in high school because we only had competitive speech at my high school, and I always had an interest in acting. I was able to find a group that specialized in youth theater in Arkansas, and they put me on a scholarship so I could afford to attend. I learned how to direct there as well as many other skills. After that I realized that theater is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” Drama teacher Ms. Dees said.
Planning and casting a musical or play takes time and dedication. All involved want to make sure the performers are ready for the work that goes into making a production successful.
“The one-act play for the this school year is Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. The musical for the 2024-2025 school year is The Little Mermaid. I make my decisions on deciding who gets to be involved with the play by first holding auditions for the students. The audition length process can vary but is typically several days. I then bring in outside adults that have some form of experience with theater. I give the students materials to practice. Sometimes I will do call backs if the show has a very small cast or the show requires a high level of talent. For this year’s show we did call backs due to the very small cast to ensure we casted the best students for the positions,” Ms. Dees said.
Theater takes patience and practice. This teaches students skills that can help them in their future. One huge part of theater is performing.
“My favorite part of performing is being able to express myself on stage without being judged. I believe my theater skills will help me in the future by first being able to be on stage which has allowed me to become a stronger public speaker. Theater has also allowed me to build up my confidence and communication skills,” junior Khiana Gully said.
There are a mix of students in the theater program. Some students may have more experience than others. Performing in theater requires memorizing lines which takes practice and skill.
“Theater was only an option for me in high school. I have participated in theater since my freshman year, so I have been in theater for four years. How I practice memorizing my lines is by taking sections at a time learning them and then adding slowly to each section till it all comes together. I always ensure I pay attention to the grammar and context of the line because it is so much easier to just learn the line correctly the first time instead of just memorizing the overall vibe and having to go back and see what words were used for transitions. I will practice my lines with my mom and she holds me accountable right away if I miss up so I ensure I can practice again and get it correct in a faster manner,” senior Samatha Parker said.
Getting started in theater can be stressful for students. Performers have different styles and different preferences when they get involved with a theater program.
“I became interested in theater because I liked talking in front of crowds and performing on stage. Once I became more involved in theater I really started to like the community because you make friends with each other and everyone supports each other. It is also nice to be around other people with the same interest as you,” sophomore Pilar Humphrey said.
