With the closing night of The Play That Goes Wrong passing, the theater club now sets sight on their next production: the musical, Drowsy Chaperone.

However, the club has a small break between productions. During this time, club members, especially seniors, dread the upcoming auditions between the play’s ending and the musical’s opening. One of these seniors, Jalyn Meckley, takes this opportunity to reflect.

“[Theater] has really helped me as a person. Before joining, I was a lot shyer. I didn’t feel like I had a place, but when I joined, it gave me a home in the school,” Jalyn said.

The club has created a close-knit community within the members and staff. This community of people have created numerous positive impacts on others.

“Drama has given me a diverse friend group that has given numerous opportunities to expand out of my bubble,” senior Alex Stanton said.

Typically, the Drama club does two productions throughout the year. They feature a fall play, such as last year’s Charlotte’s Web, and a spring musical, like 2023’s production, Mary Poppins. However, despite members having the opportunity to partake in eight shows throughout their high school career, every member is bound to have a favorite show.

“It’s gotta be between Between The Line or The Play That Goes Wrong! They were both a lot of fun, and it was amazing to work with the cast and crew,” Jalyn said.
“Not only that, but the scripts and songs (for Between The Lines) were so fun. Getting able to perform a whimsical, fun production like that was amazing.” 

As an added bonus, the club goes to an award ceremony every year. This ceremony, called the ISAAC’S, is located in Altoona. Each trophy awards theater excellence in a high school setting. Just last year, Bellefonte’s production of Fiddler on the Roof won numerous trophies, such as “Best Featured Dance,” and even earned a runner-up award for “Best Production.”

“It was a really exciting experience…there was so much energy in our seating area! You could really feel everyone coming together to celebrate and recognize our hardwork,” senior Raven Harter said.

Yet, getting into theater is hard. Fear of auditioning or performing in general typically keeps people away from the stage. However, the club is a warm and welcoming environment, and even if someone isn’t a performer, they can partake in during backstage crew, lighting, and even sound.

“[Auditioning] is not as hard as you think! Even if you think you’ll sound bad, you’ll sound good on the stage,” sophomore Zach McCamley said.

The Bellefonte High’s Theater Club continues to shine both on stage, earning praises for every production they do.