Every year at Canyon Hills High School, the Visual and Performing Arts clubs, along with the theater and electives assemble to create a play for students, parents, and faculty to attend. This year I was lucky enough to watch a piece made by our very own school for the first time, and it was quite the show.

I’ve attended many other performances for different schools and districts and have been in some myself. I’ve witnessed people needing to remember their lines, someone tripping, and common mistakes that are bound to happen. I had no idea what I was getting into when I showed up that night. 

It opened with a background of the story, a dimly lit light, and a dark atmosphere. When the opening scene passed, it was like being hit by a train. As the curtains sheathed open the set like a sword, it lifted me from my seat and completely immersed me into the show as if I were in it myself. The light entered the audience as the lit-up room was shown to us. 

The actors spoke with great confidence in their voices, and the way they persuaded the audience was amazing. Presumably, if I was in the conversation myself, feeling the same emotions they were acting out. Logan Hamilton, one of the doctors in the performance and leading actor says “I feel like the main connection
to my character were the people I was interacting with. I was performing with my friend Ryan and I feel we had moments where we could really bond on stage.” 

Their method of using timing as a way to build tension, and multiple different scenes playing at once was such a clever way to have a sort of chaos unfold on stage. It was so immersive. Casper, a member of the Theater club says “It was very difficult, we had to build a lot of stuff, we had rotating platforms, and there was a lot of work that went into it with painting, we made fake stone walls, a lot of it was the lighting as well that helped create the ambiance.” 

This was a wonderful experience and I suggest that many more students, staff and members of the Canyon Hills High School community go see these plays. I know I will definitely be attending the next one.