The NCHS Drama Club presents "Coming Home" Friday, November 1 & 2 at 7pm in the NCHS Gymnasium, $5 admission.

This fall, Newark High School Drama is going to have a "uniquely Newark" show. Instead of memorizing lines from a script, the students are creating their own. According to Danielle Urton, the club's vice president, the students are "pouring [themselves] into the show in ways that cannot be done in a typical show."

Some students choose to write scenes and monologues, some enjoy doing crew, lights, and sound, and many students are performing in the production. As Mrs. Wheeler, the club's director, always says, "There's a place for everyone in Drama."

Mrs. Wheeler says that the motivation behind creating this show was the need for positivity and change in our community and the world. She states, "It's turned into something else as we've reflected on the complexity of who we are. For instance, technology is blamed for many issues, but technology also has the power to bring us together. It's important to show both sides."

A major theme of the show is the complex personalities of teenagers and the challenges they face in the modern world. The focus is on how teens can "rise above and find hope," according to Mercedes Gravley, a junior who is acting and also contributing to writing.

In September, the students worked on writing scenes, character development through improvisation, and finding common themes to explore in the show. October will focus on revision and rehearsal of the script, which is still unnamed. Many possible titles have been thrown around, but a favorite is "Reclaiming."

Drama members say that their generation has "changed the world's perception and reclaimed their image," so this title would encapsulate current events and attitude towards their age group.

Senior Joshua Dellinger is very excited about the show and "all the new faces." He says that the best part of Drama Club actually comes after performing, as the "feeling of achievement and relief after a show has ended is unmatched." Everyone in Drama agrees that it is a second family and a place to have fun!

There is no news yet on the spring musical; however, Mrs. Wheeler states that it connects perfectly to what the Drama Club is doing in this fall production.

The fall play performances are on November 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. Admission is free to students with their school ID. We hope to see you there!