This year’s fall play, Metamorphoses, opens today. Little Theatre’s cast and crew members have worked together since August to prepare for their opening night.

Student Technical Director, senior Ayden Thurnau, spoke about the community that he’s become a part of. He loves to help others get a grasp on their contribution to the theatre, and is very excited for opening night.

“Working with newer members of Little Theater is really special because, while I do train the newer technicians, I also learn a lot from them in the process. Plus I get to meet more awesome people,” Thurnau said.

Actor and senior Jordan Roy is very passionate about theatre and talked about why performing gives him so much joy.

“I broke out into more plays my sophomore year and realized I want to pursue acting as my future career,” Roy said. “Being a part of the play’s here at the school really helped me get better at my craft and it’s what I love to do; being on stage, and acting with my peers, plus performing alongside Mr. Lodle is a great time.”

Senior and Student Technical Director Morgan Elliff is open about her love for theatre and her feelings on how this year is going so far.

“A friend of mine and I are the props student technical directors,” Elliff said. “We help everyone get all the props into the correct placement. Assembling a chandelier, building platforms for the pool, and overall just get to have fun with everyone involved.”

Junior and Student Director Emma Loewe is the only sophomore last year to spend a total of 300+ hours on and off stage for theatre, and loves to be a part of the community.

“Student directors here to help support one another and to support Mr. Lodle. Whether that’s helping with a specific team or running to get costumes, helping with props, passing information along,” Loewe said.

“We help make sure everyone is on track and if anyone has any questions we are here to help answer them.” 

Junior and actor Jerry Aplin talked about what he is looking forward to most, and advises people looking to join theatre later this year or in a year to come.

“There’s no harm in trying new things whatsoever. All of these plays are going to be much bigger so try out! It’s fun, you don’t have to be that great at acting. We will teach you. It’s insanely low pressure with acting lessons before every practice,” Aplin said. “There is no stress and it’s a way to meet like-minded people with the same interests as you, you will not be singled out.”

Jerry had finished practicing with the theatre right before this interview and is also involved with other programs/clubs for West. He shows how at times balancing school and home life can be tight, but there’s always a way to make it work.

“It’s not easy to balance everything, but when you get home it’s really important to stay in the mindset of ‘you’re at school and you’re working,’” Aplin said. “Take breaks here and there, but taking a break right after school can make you feel quite sluggish.”

Senior Grace Kearns is an actress in Metamorphoses and has been involved in theatre for years. Although starting out made her a little nervous, she wants others to feel right at home in theatre.

“It may take newcomers a while to really warm up to everyone and it can be kind of scary, but theatre is a place with no judgement,” Kearns said. “It’s a great experience and even if it takes some time, it’s pretty awesome once you get to know your new family.” 

Theatre is not just becoming another character for a night or setting up a stage, but a commitment and a way for people to come together. Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman will be performed from Thursday, October 7th through Saturday, October 9th at 7:00 p.m. in West’s PAC.

“While we have a lot of fun on tech, we also have a lot of work to get done before October 7th,” Thurnau said. ” I’m really excited to see this show come together.”