The Pahrump Valley High School Drama club has put on great performances in the past. Their most recent play being, “Monty Pythons, Spamalot”. Many theatre kids are seen as weird; it’s a “nerdy kid” stereotype, but these kids are shining stars and possibly future celebrities. These kids have been on so many stages, acting feels so natural to them because of how long they have been doing it and how dedicated they are. It’s a huge character benefit. It builds confidence and charisma. The theatre kids put on detailed and amazing shows for not only our benefit, but also theirs. Acting isn’t very easy, and the fact that some kids can do it naturally is amazing. Theatre kids should be seen as more talented instead of weird.
The drama class holds a whole new experience, for amazing opportunities. It helps build character and confidence to put on a show. You learn how to deal with situations under pressure better. It helps you learn patience, time, and communication. It takes a whole lot of courage to do that. Mental and physical preparation is one of the best ways to get ready for a performance. It’s important to encourage yourself and believe that you can do it. “To get ready for sound I have to mic up all my actors, turn on my system.” Lyndon Steeno, a Junior at PVHS, explains how he has to prepare the stage and get himself ready for it. “…but usually I just sit down in the dressing room, eat some food and drink some water.” Acting is such a hard thing to get good at, not only with the pressure, the process, but it’s also a test for your patience.
Sophomore, Tara Degoodie, agrees by saying, “It gets pretty frustrating because we have to do things so many times to get it right, but it’s definitely needed.” The pressure and hard work put into the plays makes it so worth it in the end process. Audra Duvall, the PVHS drama teacher, makes them do it over and over until perfection. Duvall, the Drama and Tech teacher, did an amazing job at putting the “Monty Pythons” show together. To have someone meet the expectations you need, you need to be hard on them but clear, communication is everything. Learning to act and be like someone completely different from you is extremely difficult on its own; doing it in front of people and being put on the spot makes it much more difficult.
Most drama kids have thought about being an actor/actress, and all good actors and actresses have to start somewhere. “It takes a lot of bravery to portray someone else on stage, to try your best to not try to be you, to get rid of those tics, and everything that makes you, you.” Chase Moore says. Tics are things you do subconsciously that you don’t really realize you’re doing, like; when people get nervous they rub their neck, or fix their hair without even realizing it. Learning how to stop doing the things you do without thinking seems impossible, but look at these kids.
Not all drama/theatre kids are weird. It’s just different stereotypes and opinions that others say out loud. Being on stage puts you literally on the spot, and it’s natural that you get anxiety or fear. “It’s more so, we just think differently.” Steeno says. It takes bravery that most of us don’t have, and them getting out of their comfort zones shows how brave you are. Starting with this small class can lead them to big things in life.
