September 28, 2023

BY: CARSYN QUEEN

The Hand

“[Carsyn] painted this piece in 2021 as [her] first acrylic painting in at least three years. [She] took inspiration/ used a reference of Corpse’s hand, but altered pieces to make it more unique and have the vibe [she] wanted.”

October 12, 2023

BY: FINLEY FOUST

A Woman of the Day

“[Finley] drew this piece during [her] intermediate art class last year, and it was the first time [she] took a portrait seriously. [Finley] truly enjoyed creating this piece with one of [her] favorite mediums, Prismacolor pencils.”

November 2, 2023

BY: KYLA MABE

Losing Face

“[Kyla] drew [this] in late 2020 for [her] 7th grade art class as an exercise in depth. Based off [her] favorite song at the time, Losing Face, [she] drew a face separated from it’s skull.”

November 16, 2023

A Frozen Spotlight

By: Kim Mead

For the last three years, the NCLA theater program has been a source of inspiration, joy, and creative expression for students and teachers alike. The program has grown exponentially in the past few years, fostering friendships among the different grade levels, and creating a sense of community within the cast. 

The most recent performance was Frozen Jr: a stage adaptation of the hit Disney animated film that took the world by storm nearly ten years ago. The NCLA’s version of it has a rocky history, with it originally being slated to happen last year. Unfortunately, the show was postponed, but it finally took the stage on Friday, November 3rd.

And it was undeniably worth the wait. 

With stellar performances by all the actors including the leads Aleena Rios, Emma Gwyn, Sterling Bray and Christian Caldwell; Beautiful choreography by Shane Maggard; Euphonious harmonies created by Ms. Gobetz; A stage crew thirteen people strong, led by stage manager Kayleigh Dean; and immersive and masterfully constructed set pieces by Mrs. Weikert and student volunteers. All under the leadership of the director of the show, Shannon Maggard; Frozen was brought to wondrous life. 

Frozen Jr. marks the fourth production by the NCLA, following the performances of 101 Dalmatians, Elf Jr., and HIgh School Musical Jr. This show was their biggest one to date, with the cast and crew totaling 76 students. Out of that number, 46 were middle and high schoolers, 20 were 4th and 5th graders, and 13 were stage crew. 

Everything in this show was ramped up to 100%; the set design, the costumes, the performances. They brought their “A” game with every facet of it, and the product was phenomenal.

Photo Credits: NCLA Photography

Maggard explains this by saying, “It had to be good because it was Frozen, so we couldn’t do it bad. We had a lot on our shoulders, but I feel like we pulled off something really magical with it.”

Magical is the best way to describe it, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the countless people putting effort and energy into it. From the actors spending their lunch hours and after school hours practicing for weeks on end, the stage crew having to learn to move as a unit to seamlessly shift from scene to scene, and the hours of care that were put into the creation of the set. The banners in particular were notably tedious, with Weikert sharing that, “I sat at home for several hours, you know – just kinda stitching them, making sure that we could put dowel rods through them if we needed to”. 

The actress who played Anna, Emma Gwyn, a sophomore who debuted at NCLA last year as Gabriella in High School Musical, says, “I would say my favorite part of the production is being able to see how much we’ve grown since High School Musical, because I think this one was a lot more complicated, and intricate, and we had a bunch of new people join, which was really fun to see.”

One of the people who joined this year was Sterling Bray, a junior, who was originally supposed to play Roger in 101 Dalmatians back in 2020, before it was delayed due to Covid. This production marked his first ever role as Hans, and the actor says his favorite part of it was, “Making connections with people I never thought I’d make connections with.” He goes on to say that,  “This was a phenomenal production and I was really glad I could be a part of it.”

The cast was a mix of people who had spent a good portion of their lives in theater and those who had only just started. Regardless of how long they’d been involved, this show allowed new friendships to foster and offered a safe space for students to express themselves. Maggard expresses her love of this, saying, “I just see them shine, where, a lot of times I feel like in the halls, or in classrooms they’re muted; but when they get involved in theater – I don’t know – it lights something inside of them and increases their confidence.”

Elsa actress Aleena Rios, a junior who portrayed Sharpay Evans in High School Musical last March said that her favorite part of the show was, “The rip off dress during “Let It Go,” I loved it.” It was a show-stopping illusion created by magnets and stage manager Dean hiding just out of sight. That moment, as well as the song “Hygge” led by Henry Hartzell, the actor who played Oaken, were definitely fan favorites. 

When asked, Kristoff actor Christian Caldwell said that he would “very much” encourage people who aren’t necessarily involved in theater to try out.  This was Caldwell’s second year participating in the NCLA theater program, with his first role being Zeke in High School Musical. Many of the cast members are returning from that production, and interest only continues to rise.

With new interest comes new funding and grander shows. For HSM, new drapes were purchased, allowing the tech crew more room to work with to compensate for the lack of a backstage. And with this production, Maggard says that the administration of the school is investing more in the program, saying, “We’re getting a curtain, so hopefully by the spring production we’ll have a curtain.”

This is major news for the theater program, because it means as more people get involved, more opportunities and better materials are available. It is no secret that the stage in the gym isn’t a stage conducive to a theatrical production. There is no backstage, there are no dressing rooms; and with 76 people behind the curtain, there’s hardly any space, but Maggard maintains, “I feel like just being our fourth show ever, that it was a great success, with what we had”.

As the theater program continues to improve with each passing year, the future of it is as bright as ever. Who knows, maybe one day there will be an auditorium on campus. A dedicated space to the arts; for theater, for band, for chorus. For the kids who have shown us time and time again- they’re done waiting in the wings.