Class of 2026 Farewells:
I am so grateful for this performance as I am for every one before it and all that will come after. This theater program took an insecure and lonely kid and gave him a voice and a passion for storytelling. I want to thank my parents and friends for bearing with me over these four years as I’ve focused on acting and singing pretty insistently and I want to thank them for trusting and supporting me as I’ve prepared to pursue this as a career. In my seventeen years of life I think it is safe to say this has been the most insane year I have seen but the people I have spent it with made it worthwhile and I know I’ll leave here without any regrets. Much thanks to these directors and again, I would not be here right now without my parents or my friends. If I had anything to offer from my highschool experience it would be these two things. First I highly recommend that wherever you are in life, and whatever your age may be, that you get involved in the arts. Be that the instrument you always wanted to pick up and never did or getting involved in painting, dancing, whittling, or whatever your passion may be, do that. The other is that however chaotic life may be, always trust that there is a plan for you and things will work out like they are meant to. Enjoy the show!-Owen Austin
I honestly don’t know how to say goodbye to something that has meant this much to me for the last three years. Joining theater again after taking a 4 year hiatus, my sophomore year changed my life in ways I never expected. It became the place I could be myself, take risks, laugh until I cried, cry, and feel like I truly belonged thanks to Mr. Blake, Ms. Tomberlin, Ms. Michelle and so many more kind people that volunteer their time.Being part of six shows with this program still doesn’t feel real to me. I got to be in Peter and the Starcatcher, The Little Mermaid, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Big Fish, Newsies, The Sound of Music. Every single role, rehearsal, and performance gave me memories I’ll carry forever. Some of my favorite moments in high school happened backstage or in a rehearsal. But more than the shows, it was the people who made theater feel like home. Meeting Ellie, Owen, Olivia, and Devon and all of my theater family was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Especially you four, you became some of my closest friends, and I don’t think I would be the same person without you.
Thank you everyone for every late rehearsal, every inside joke, every hug before show, and every moment that made this program feel like family. I’m going to miss this more than I can explain. Theater will always be a part of me. -Marissa Liner
To all of you— whether you were alongside me for the entirety of the four years I spent with this program or whether you were in and out of shows, whether you were cast or crew or both, I love you forever. Thank you for being an unconditionally loving family, such passionate teachers, and for helping me build my second home. While I bound towards new experiences that are sure to reform and delight me, I will constantly remember your relentlessness through hardships, your hope in the midst of darkness, and your kindness in the faces of others. Keep loving, keep changing, keep following the instincts that light up this stage every weekday afternoon. I’m so proud of you all, and I’m so excited to see what amazing things you get up to. No matter the material, because it is you, I will be absolutely blown away every time. -Eliska Nuzzo
