Imagine over half the LHS student body altogether in one room, showcasing their acting talents to the community. This is what drama club is all about. In this school year, 2022-2023, the LHS has been granted the chance of a new drama club, all thanks to Mrs. Steinlage and Mrs. Nelson. Around five years ago, LHS Drama class was taken off the list of classes for everyone. Ever since then, not only all the Fort Larned schools, but the community hasn’t been as joyful and full of laughter as it used to be in the past. The time for more laughter and happiness is now. 

When LHS did have a drama class, around half the student body helped bring the plays to life. Now that we have the club back, only a handful of students are now in the cast & crew.  This is why the LHS students should go out for it and try. Before the drama club ever became a club, it was originally a class. The teacher who ran it was Mrs. Fleske, and she has always been known for her phenomenal job at teaching and making the community laugh with joy. Then, once she retired, Mrs. Bailey took over the class which was then made into a club. She did a great job as well, but the community still misses the original style. Now that it’s been brought back after a few years, the community wants the play to be more of what they’re used to, which would include a big one-week wonder play with many cast & crew members. 

If you don’t know if you should go out or not because you don’t understand the roles, cast & crew have a big difference between each other. A cast member is just an actor. It’s someone who will be in the spotlight on stage and the center of attention. The crew is the people who work backstage, like the handymen and helpers. They set up the stage, give props to the cast when needed, or run lights to shine on the stage.  The benefit of going out for drama is that it helps you develop skills that sharpen and hone your ability to think and listen carefully. Another benefit would be helping you become even more confident while building your problem-solving skills and social/teamwork skills as well.

The future of drama club is like a growing plant. For a plant can only grow by getting better and stronger with more water, food, and sunshine. If drama is the plant then the more people who go out for drama will help it get bigger and stronger by being able to do so much more with even more people. So, this is what many of the cast, crew, and teachers have talked about what they want to happen for the future of drama. They have talked about getting to do more plays throughout the year, getting to perform throughout the day for the elementary and middle schoolers, and performing for the community as well. 

Drama clubs can be for extroverts, introverts, anyone, and everyone. In fact, Steinlage stated, “I think it creates a really good camaraderie. I believe theater is something that you can pull students from all walks of life, so your jocks and your academically inclined students. Everybody can all join together and create this product and make friends with people that you wouldn’t usually hang out with or have classes with.”

If you are still deciding whether or not you want to go out for it this is what freshman crew member Cammy Upson had to say to you “Give it a shot and at least try it and if you don’t like just don’t do it again. But who knows, you might fall in love with it.” 

Even if you don’t think you’ll fit in, freshman cast member David Colglaizer assures you that will not be the case. Colglazier stated, “It was a fun experience because everyone was super supportive of what you were doing […]. It just gets you kind of closer to everyone, while getting to know them more.” 

In summary, the LHS drama club can be for everyone. The skills you learn are endless and everything in drama club only works and happens with teamwork from everyone. Not only that but most colleges see drama and theater clubs as one of the best ways to demonstrate that you have a great creative side and great teamwork skills as well. Ultimately if you want to show that you have a passion and drive to make the world full of laughter and a more joyful place, then you should go out to drama club!