It has been months of working hard, rehearsing, trying on costumes, practicing makeup, and building sets, all to prepare for a monumental final bow in the high school careers of seniors Nadine Hamad, Kennedy Hayes, Jackson Luikens, and Taylor Washington. 

While it may not be their last show, Clue, opening September 29, will surely be an emotional show to say goodbye to. After this play and the Winter musical, many seniors in the drama department will begin pursuing things beyond murder mystery comedies and monthly drama club meetings. Thanks to theater, many seniors have high hopes for their lives after high school.

“Because I’ve had so much experience in theater, I feel like it will be a very big door for me,” Washington said. “Especially since I have people watching me, and that’s always good because you don’t want to just leave it in high school. You want to bring it out into the world.”

Senior year doesn’t just mean looking toward the future, though. For the senior cast members of Clue, this show also means reminiscing on their beginnings in theater.

“My first show was a student direct Renaissance Festival show, and Clue is a director-led show,” Luikens said. “There is so much tech and costumes, and it’s all so many intricate details. It’s just so much more complex.”

The final year in the drama department for these actors has also made them reminiscent of the changes they have seen over the years.

“We have less cliques, everyone’s kind of friends with everyone,” Drama Club President Nadine Hamad said. “At the end of the day, we’re all proud of each other. We all love each other, doing the thing we love, which is acting.”

Year by year, these seniors have felt more at home in the department, where they feel like they can truly be themselves, void of judgment.

“Changes I’ve noticed personally, is that I feel like the bond is definitely strengthened,” Hayes said. “Everyone’s gotten more of  this family connection, and it’s like a second home to everyone more now than it was in the past.”

For many of the cast members, their role in Clue is their first lead part, and they have been hard at work with their acting techniques. Some find that one of the most challenging parts of this show are the aspects of character development.

“I use different ways that other actresses have played the role,” Washington said. “So I look at the movie, I hear about the show that was played in Houston. So I take those two aspects and kind of add my own twist to it, because we’re all different people.”

While the play is hard work, there is also lots of fun to it for the whole cast and crew. It’s a unique show, with processes these seniors have never used before. With that, Clue is coming together and is getting ready for performances.

“I think what we’re doing right now, how we are bringing it all together,” Luikens said. “How we’re finally combining the aspects of tech and acting to make the show, what Clue is, the overall feeling that Clue gives you.”

With one more year ahead of them, these seniors hope to make their mark on the drama department that has taught them so much. 

“I want people to remember me, like, ‘She was really cool,’” Hayes said. “‘She was really welcoming, made me feel comfortable, and shared her knowledge of the department, and really helped me grow personally.’ Yeah.”

After many shows, performances, experiences, and friendships, the end of the fall show doesn’t mean the end of their time here, or their legacy in the drama department. Hamad’s goal, along with the rest of the senior cast members, is to ensure everyone else has a great experience.

“I know it sounds so cliche, I want to make sure that everyone feels like they are somebody in this department,” Hamad said. “And everyone feels like they have a friend.”