Briar Woods Theatre has been in school culture since the school was founded in 2005. It has become a large part of the school community, bringing students and faculty together for two teacher-directed shows a year and one senior-directed one-act. The theater season started late in the school year of  2023 – 2024, but the dates for the new play, Peter and the Starcatcher, are quickly approaching. Students are working hard to put on the production in a little over a month so that the rest of the theater season can continue as planned under the new director in the department.

Actors have been a part of plays and musicals since the times of Shakespeare. The imaginations brought to the stage are viewed daily as entertainment sources, but the process that brings the magic to life is rigorous. The fall play started in early November and will be performed in December. According to StageAgent, a theater database, Peter and the StarCatcher is a “prequel to Peter Pan based on the children’s book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.” The production is a “coming-of-age story.” Anirudh is vice president of the International Thespian Society (ITS) and plays the role of Captain Hook in the fall play. The audition process is already over, and the space is almost ready to be performed. Anirudh says the theater experience is “enjoyable and has a great community.” He also tells the story of the emotions that accompany it, saying, “It’s very impactful to act in front of audiences and make them laugh.” There are rehearsals every day after school, and the vice president says, “The play is going well, and we’re in crunch mode right now, with a lot of lines to memorize, but it’s going to come out well.” Theatre is a joint effort between many different aspects. Behind the scenes, Tech is the most crucial job to ensure the production runs smoothly.

Dani Ingles has been a part of tech at Briar Woods for three years and has worked on musicals like Into the Woods and Elf and plays like Almost Maine and One Acts. They are also working on the play at hand. There is often a view that acting in 75% of the show, when Tech is most of it. Ingles describes it as “everything besides the acting is done by tech. We build the sets they stand on, light them so they can be seen, and give them a voice during the musical by using microphones.” There are many jobs that make this process go smoothly, and they all work together. Ingles says, “Without the different sections that focus on each part of the production, I would have no job.” These jobs include hair and makeup, props, lights, and costumes. Ingles describes the pressure of all of these jobs and how fluid the departments have to be to deal with all the problems. In the end, Ingles said, “it feels great to be part of tech because it’s so satisfying and exhilarating to see each cog and piece get put together into a story.”