This year’s stage isn’t just for current students. On March 25, the last performance day of “Bye Bye Birdie,” former students who performed the same musical in 2003 will be coming to West. Drama department director Renae Hubbard has reserved front row seats for the former cast members to see what the department has blossomed into.
“Our motto is ‘take the stage, leave a legacy’ and it truly is going to be you standing there in front of the legacy,” Hubbard said.
Not only will the alumni be observing our current cast but they will be staying after to get to know today’s students.
“I’m really excited to see where people are that resided in theatre. I don’t know any people personally from childhood who did, so it will be very interesting to connect with those people and see where they are now,” senior Jonathan York said.
Additionally, the drama department gives away a scholarship every year named after the first technical theatre leader, Mark Ford, who was a student during Hubbard’s first year teaching. Even though the scholarship was named after him, he wasn’t always aware. Hubbard lost contact with Ford after he graduated and had no way to tell him until they ran into each other at a dance studio where their daughters both took lessons. After their conversation, Ford started to help funding the yearly scholarships. Ford will be coming out to watch the musical and meet the students he has been helping.
Following the show, there will be a potluck cookout in the cafeteria with catering from Little Richard’s for all current or previous drama students that go to West.
“I am looking forward to getting to see friendly faces from past West Forsyth drama departments that I haven’t seen in a while. Coming together and celebrating such a great milestone is extremely important. Mrs. Hubbard is the person that helped shape most of us in more ways than she could know, so I am looking forward to celebrating her great accomplishment of 20 years at West Forsyth,” 2022 Alumni Spencer Browning said.
Whether you have taken drama in the past or are currently taking it, you are invited to come out and support the theatre department’s legacy.