This year’s Spotlight Players’ Theater Kick-Off on Friday, August 19,was filled with bubbling laughter and positive vibes. Many seats in the auditorium were filled with eager students waiting for the reveal of this year’s fall play, “Almost Maine,” and spring musical, “Once Upon A Mattress,” and more information on the group.

Michael Lloyd, senior and president of the theater troupe, explained what the club is.

“Theater, we are heavily student- run, and we are just so much more than acting which I think a lot of departments gloss over,” Lloyd said.“Basically, you can learn so many different things in theater like I stick to sets so I’ve learned how to build things like I went home and built things myself and I know people in costumes that have made their own clothing, like you can try out anything in the school like taking a woodshop class where you would make something like a desk, but in theater you could build a two-story house that rotates around. It’s kind of amazing”

In theater there are officers and thespians: thespian status is reached after 100 service hours, then once they are a thespian, they can be elected to be an officer. There are other ways to earn thespian points like participating in Improv Club which meets every early release Wednesday during PLC time, the time between 1:35 – 2:20 p.m. Their first meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 31.This year’s fall play, Almost Maine, is a collection of 9 different love stories, and the spring musical, Once Upon a Mattress, is a very comedic version of the Princess and the Pea.

Theater includes many different crews, such as hair and makeup, lights, sound, publications and publicity, paint, set, costumes, props, and cast, according to previous cast member Liv Hritzkowin. Theater is a club where a student can learn a lot and love a lot, the friendships made in this club could last a lifetime, so it is a very tight- knit club where everyone loves and supports each other.

Sophomore Chloe Bockhorst attended the theater kick- off this past Friday and commented on how close and determined all the officers and crew seemed.

“Theater is like a tight-knit group and we work together, and other groups call themselves a family, but theater is more caring and generous,” Bockhorst said.