Drama Fest presents Oak Harbor’s rising directors and writer

Whether comedic or serious, Drama Fest remains the place for Oak Harbor’s young artists to experiment, direct and shine.

This year’s one-act festival ends Saturday at Oak Harbor High School, showcasing three student-directed and one student-written performance. Audiences can expect a mix of tone and style, with three one acts: “Badger,” “Cassandra” and “Math,” ranging from serious dramas to a lighthearted comedy.

Students began applying to direct last spring, eager to bring fresh creativity to the Oak Harbor stage. After a summer spent planning sets, costumes, lighting and staging, auditions took place in September. Since then, the casts have been rehearsing three times a week, preparing for opening night.

“Badger,” by Don Zolidis, tells the story of female workers in a World War II ammunition factory, shedding light on the challenges they faced. The play uses movement, romance and striking lighting and sound effects to immerse the audience. Directors Piper Tubbs and Lucille Wind, both seniors, have spent a year developing the production. They said trusting their actors with such meaningful material was both difficult and rewarding. Still the cast worked really well together, they agreed. The big explosion scene always makes the directors cry, they added, bringing their vision to life.

Like “Badger,” “Cassandra,” written by senior Allie Sheppard, uses unique costumes and thoughtful lighting to help carry the story’s heart. The play turns confusion into comedy as a man is accused of insanity after trying to warn his crush about her ominous fate. Sheppard said she wanted to depict how people’s perspectives influence their reactions.

“Watching it, it looks way better than how I imagined it in my head,” she said.

A lifelong storyteller, Sheppard plans to keep writing after high school and hopes to eventually teach literature at the college level.

Directors Brian Goodman and Piper Ehrhart, both juniors, bring their own chemistry to the stage as the team behind the production. The pair said their complementary strengths made for a strong partnership, and while the process had challenges, it became a valuable learning experience.

Goodman noted that directing showed them how complex and rewarding the role can be as they watched their actors bring the story to life.

“They are amazing. Literally every single one of our actors, we couldn’t have picked anyone else who is better fit for the roles that they have,” Ehrhart added.

The festival closes with another Zolidis script, “Math,” a comedic look at a father’s war against algebra. His frustration with radicals and letters replacing numbers drives him to absurd lengths to “protect” his daughter and her peers from the subject. Colorful sets move the audience between a classroom, a living room and more, keeping the energy lively.

Senior Logan Hendricks, a two-time director, said they wanted to balance the night’s lineup with something lighter.

“I’ve been looking at this show for a while and I just love the concept of the show,” Hendricks said. “I knew that with other shows being performed we definitely needed something a lot more lighthearted.”

Hendricks admitted that algebra itself isn’t all bad, depending on the day, and said the teacher makes all the difference.

Theater teacher Melissa Gibson said the months-long process has shown students how much work goes into producing a show. Drama Fest, she added, gives every student, from freshmen to seniors, an opportunity to participate and learn all sides of theater production.

“It’s a great experience for them and it’s been a great experience for me,” Gibson said. “Some of them are going to go off and maybe major in theater.”

From peer meditation and time management to sound, lighting and costume design, Gibson said the directors have gained invaluable skills throughout the process. The thespians are setting their sights on state with their one acts for this year’s Drama Fest, she said.

Tickets are $10 at the SUB door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will start at 7 p.m.