"Editor's Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists. Professional theater companies in the Bay Area have been financially struggling recently, with numerous recent closures, but the interest and activity level in some San Jose high school drama programs remains high."
"Willow Glen has a thriving theater and drama program, from Willow Glen Middle School through the high school. "A cast for one of our plays can range anywhere from 20 to 55 students-that's just one play," said Allyson Velasquez, who teaches drama and helps direct plays at the high school."
"Kinsey Wright, a senior at Leigh, has been a part of the theater program through four years, playing several roles in numerous productions. "I act, I costume-design, I direct," he said. "I plan on being a theater major" after high school. Willow Glen senior Aaron Ortiz was drawn to drama at an early age. "When I was younger, I used to watch many movies with my grandparents," he said. "I remember my first time watching 'Hamilton,' and I was just so amazed by the performance. That's when I knew that was the passion I wanted to follow." He has worked behind the scenes for his school's productions, as well"
San Jose high school drama programs demonstrate strong student participation and active productions even as Bay Area professional theaters face financial strain and closures. Willow Glen offers theater from middle school through high school with casts that can reach 20 to 55 students per play. Leigh High maintains a performing arts department with multiple theater and musical tiers and roughly 140 drama students. Musicals draw the most interest, and teachers use double-casting and understudies to involve many students. Students participate onstage and behind the scenes as actors, technicians, costume designers, and makeup artists, and several plan theater majors after graduation.
Read at The Mercury News
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