Ready, Set, Action!
WHS Drama Program’s Humble Beginnings
By Annamaria Morrill
Warrenton High School drama class engaged their audience for three nights in January with a fun musical, “Back to the 80’s”. The plot was about a former student, looking back to his high school years and watching his own life through the play. There were the popular kids, the less popular ones, the nerds, young teachers, and even some Star Wars characters. Popular 1980’s pop songs were carrying the story from beginning to end. The audience enjoyed a performance that was well suited for all ages–those who had lived through the ‘80s and those younger, who have learned it through the recent comeback in trending fashions.
Favorite school subject
A WHS math teacher, James Hackwith, has directed many plays, but “Back to the 80’s” is one of his favorites. He especially enjoys using plays that have good music and many lines to keep his students involved. One of his main goals has always been to give every student a chance to be on the stage.
Each school year the drama and stage classes work on two different plays, which are the class finals. The students are graded on participation.
Hackwith explains, “Some students have a hard time understanding that the play cannot go on without everyone participating. That is the reason we have a signed contract about committing to the drama production.”
Putting a play together is often quite stressful both for the teacher and the students. Many of the students are juggling between other finals, sport activities, band competitions and other commitments while attending practice and memorizing their parts for the play. Everyone is on edge during rehearsal times when all the lines should be memorized, but often are not. Somehow, it always comes together and develops to become better toward the last night of the play.
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“My job is to push the students to memorize lines, learn the choreography, develop their character, get needed costumes, and do well in their other classes,” says Hackwith, adding that seniors often push the younger ones to do their best.
Regardless of all the pressure, many students find the drama class their favorite school subject. They find it very rewarding to be part of an entire production like this.
Humble Beginnings
The drama program at WHS was only a club when Hackwith stepped in to help in 1993 because he wanted the drama club to continue when the previous advisor had left. The small club eventually grew to become a regular class and then later was divided into separate drama and stage classes.
Since the beginning, Hackwith has wanted to build a program where the students would act, sing, and learn the stage settings. He has always wanted to make the stages a major part of the plays. Creating them has been his passion ever since he learned the skills during his own high school years in Troy, Idaho. Through his own participation during those years he learned how to put the whole production together.
“I really enjoy watching the stage begin to develop and seeing the students take ownership making it the best it can be,” says Hackwith.
He has taken much pride in having the stages well-constructed, often spending many hours after school either building or tearing them down. Class time is never enough to get it all done.
Hackwith is very grateful that school district has been supportive of his classes, providing funds to buy better plays and a new sound system which was purchased recently. It has improved communication between the sound booth and the back stage immensely.
“The beginning of the drama program was humble. We had a very small budget, and we had to do a lot of begging, and borrow materials just to get by,” Hackwith remembers. “We had very few items on the stage, and very old lights. Once we almost had a fire in backstage, because of the old lighting system. The fire department then donated money for new lights, which are still in use today.”
Community Support is Important
Hackwith says that community support is very important for the drama program. He hopes that people would come see the plays as much as they go to see sporting events and is very grateful when people come offer some help, because often it is needed.
“One local contractor has let us use his chop saw for a couple of years now, which has been very helpful. People also donate clothes for the plays, but the biggest issue we have is lack of storage. We need clothes, but we don’t have any storage space for them,” he explains.
The students are currently working on the next big production, which will be ready later in spring with plays being scheduled in May. Hackwith invites anybody who is interested in drama production to contact him and share their skills. He points out a longtime volunteer–a former WHS graduate, Eric Reinoso–has been instrumental in helping at the sound booth for many different plays.
Hackwith has been a math teacher for over 30 years at WHS, saying that the drama and stage classes provide him a more creative environment. Students are the most important reason he likes to teach those classes. Away from school, Hackwith enjoys playing guitar in a band, “Four Dudes and a Deeva”, that plays 1970’s style music. He also plays guitar on a music team at his church.
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The most recent WHS drama play in January offered the audience a fun 1980’s musical experience.
