Theater is never what meets the eye on stage. Whether it be on Broadway’s stages or local high school stages, drama is everywhere.
Pleasant Valley is known for having a stellar arts department, and the theater showcases a little of everything. That being said, members of the drama club will agree that what goes on backstage may not be as glamorous as one may think.
Over the years of the Pleasant Valley Drama Club, there have been lots of changes made intentionally and by default. Pleasant Valley speech teacher and director of theater Bill Myatt has been with the drama club since 1990 and has seen drastic changes within the drama club, both positive and negative.
“When I got here in 1990, there was quite a bit of widespread involvement among the student body. We had starting linemen playing lead roles in musicals.” Myatt added that the school has changed to be more “specialized” now, or focused on one activity alone rather than branching out.
When the school changed to have a more “specialized” mindset, so did the drama club. “There were a couple years where the drama became the focus of the drama ” Myatt said of the club when it was less inclusive. “We’ve worked for the past number of years to eliminate that and I think the rest of the school has followed that lead.”
PV Drama Club alumni Hannah McDonald remembered her time with the drama club. “The club was a great place to learn about theater, but a hard place to make friends,” As McDonald grew older, things got easier for her. “My friends and I took on leadership positions in the club with the goal of making it a more inclusive and inviting place.”
After McDonald graduated, the department continued to blossom from the seedling of her hard work. She said, “It makes my heart so happy to know that what started with my peers and I had continued, benefitting so many other students.” Many like McDonald agree that although the club used to be a non inclusive environment, it has drastically changed within 10 years.
