Senior Emaan Khan has been a member of ITS since freshman year and is currently a member of the artistic direction board. She has performed the productions of Almost Maine, Hamlet and her favorite: Footloose.

“I think I was at a time in my life [in junior year] where I was really questioning if I wanted to keep on doing theater or not,” Khan said. “Being able to perform [in Footloose] after I took a hiatus and everything, it was really just exhilarating. It wasn’t even the fact that I was the lead, it was just the fact that I was in a show with all these amazing, incredible people and we had a really close bond. I think that’s what made it so special.”

Most people think that Shakespeare is one of the only good playwrights. Khan thinks it has something to do with stereotypes.

There’s just this stereotype of the traditional high school performer: that they are kind of pretentious, they always wear black and they try to be really progressive in terms of what they feel about social issues . . . They only say Shakespearean and they only use very pretentious words . . . So that’s why I think that many kids at our school denounce the theater department really quickly, or they don’t even care for seeing the show, [because the only thing they expect is Shakespeare].”

SENIOR Emaan Khan

Khan’s final thoughts on broadening one’s horizons comes down to considering the perks of theater. She encourages people to participate and observe the arts in order to learn more, rather than of pushing some ulterior motive like extra credit or graduation requirements.

“A lot of them take it [Drama class] and end up really enjoying it, because it’s a class with minimal homework, minimal work in general, minimal stress,” Khan said. “There’s a lot of group work, a lot of activities, and you make really good friends.”

Senior Haley Fodare is a current member of the general ITS board. Her most memorable performance overall was The Great Gatsby.

“We were onstage, and somebody was supposed to hit this bar, a counter type thing that had a lot of glasses on it,” Fodare said. “They were supposed to hit it, but not hard enough to break the glass. But when they hit it, a bunch of the glasses fell off and broke everywhere . . . a lot of us were really shocked, and I think the audience was too. Everyone could tell that was something he had not planned out. I just remember I was trying really hard not to laugh.”

One of the improvements that Fodare has seen the Drama department implement is the expansion of performance repertoire to include more modern productions. She thinks that it will help promote newer plays so that they will have the chance to shine as well.

“I think we definitely perform more modern stuff than we do Shakespeare,” Fodare said. “We do Shakespeare scenes, but that’s just because Lit classes like it and we like it too. I think just by performing more modern works, we’re showing the variety of theatre that is available and the variety of theatre that people can relate to, especially with our musicals that are newer in writing.”

Senior Eric Crouch’s favorite performance, The Laramie Project, was indeed a newer production. He was very proud of this role because of its emotional depth.

“I think in terms of the role I am most proud of is probably participating in The Laramie Project,” Crouch said. “That was a chance for me to do something more important than just being a character on stage. I got to embody that person whose actions were actually horrifying, and made you make him emotional, more understanding and made you reveal who you are and the true horror that impacted them.”

Crouch believes that Shakespeare is both deserving and undeserving of his reputation.

“I’m a devout Shakespeare nerd, but I think no in a sense that to modern ears, even when we can understand Shakespeare, sometimes he is completely melodramatic and overwrought,” Crouch said. “But, in a slightly deeper way, thematically? There is a great extent to which Shakespeare has managed to transcend the ages in a way that is truly incredible. Because, look, I hate Romeo and Juliet. I hate the plot so much, I think all the characters are stupid and acting like infatuated twerps for the most part, and that includes the adults in the story. But, can we look at Romeo and Juliet, and not feel a little bit of ourselves in it? Acting brashly and stupidly and feeling all the emotions in the world for young teenagers, and trying to solve all of your problems and find yourself in the arms of someone else, and ultimately fail? Is that not a true tragic moment for the people on the stage in front of you? Because as much as I hate Romeo and Juliet, I always get to the third Act of the show, and I see these two people on the brink of being able to live out their lives together, and the brink of being able to uncross their stars and live their lives happily and in love, and every time I see the show I get my hopes up. That maybe this’ll be the time the show ends happily. But every time, you’re forced to see there is no happy ending to this.”