Welcome to Spotlight, where 半岛体育 highlights shows from educational institutions or regional theatres and special events around the country (who have used 半岛体育's ). By welcoming these PLAYBILLDERs center stage, we hope to give our readers a more in-depth look at theatre programs that are fostering the love of the performing arts in the next generation and the way theatre lovers are bringing 半岛体育 along for life's big moments.
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This week's Spotlight is Paschal High School of Fort Worth, Texas, and their production of The Drowning Girls. The play tells the chilling true story of British serial killer George Joseph Smith, an Edwardian opportunist who drowned each of his three wives in the bath after taking out life insurance policies on them. In the play, the three ghostly brides appear, gathering evidence of mistreatment not only against their husband, but also against society at large.
Director of Theatre Andrew Weesner shared with 半岛体育 why the opportunity to give life to real people in The Drowning Girls had a huge impact on his students.
Tell us a little about yourself. How many years have you been teaching?
Andrew Weesner: I have been teaching for 16 years.
What is your proudest moment as an educator?
I had a student in my program and who had been made to feel like he wasn't worthy of going to college. Over the course of our time together, I worked on helping him see his potential. My proudest moment still remains the day that he tackled me in the hallway saying, "I'm going to college! I got in!" That was such a special moment!
Can you share a little bit about the value you see in having a performing arts program in schools?
I believe every kid has something spectacular in them. Arts programs have the massive responsibility of helping each kid discover what that is and then working with them to prepare to share it with the world.
What shows are your kids obsessed with right now?
My students seem to always be obsessed with Heathers! But for the moment we are also obsessing over "Epic" and Hadestown.
How does your school鈥檚 performing arts programs impact your community?
We have a thriving performing arts program here in the Paschal community. We work hard to bring in as many elements of the performing arts into our shows and our community is always waiting at the door to come see what we are doing.
What are your dreams for how your drama department can grow?
I would love to see our program continue to grow in terms of the excellence of our productions. I would also like to see more kids (and families) realize that careers as performing artists are not just silly dreams but very real possibilities.
Tell us a little bit about the production. What made you pick the show? How do you choose shows for your students?
Each year we look for a show to enter into the University Interscholastic Leagues' One Act Play Contest. The contest is an opportunity to show off the talent and maturity of the artist in our program. Because of this, we are able to do shows that may be a bit more intense and artistic than the other shows in our season. I am always looking for deep, impactful stories. When I saw The Drowning Girls for the first time, I knew it was a piece that I wanted to produce. This is such an important story to share, and has the opportunity to give real people back the voices they had taken from them.
What are the kids loving about the show?
Our kids have loved the opportunity to explore historical characters, and then play with how different emotions and feelings can be represented. The research that we do brought so much depth to their performances. I love watching their findings and thoughts move from the paper to the stage.
What message do you have for your students as they take the stage?
A message for my students: remember that I am proud of you and the work you have done. Just breathe!
How has PLAYBILLDER impacted your performing arts program as a resource?
Our 半岛体育 has become a huge part of productions and our audiences love to see it! We have also raised quite a bit of funding through ad sales, so it has become an important part of the fundraising efforts that allow us to do the things we do.
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