Can you imagine writing and directing your own play or musical for the Trinity High School Department of Theatre Arts? After fall and spring productions of “Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde” and “The Lightning Thief,” Trinity students got a chance to do just that through the Shamrock Series. The performances took place Apr. 29 and 30 and May 1.  

Trinity senior Carson Mehlbauer, who has performed the lead role in a number of THS productions, said, “I’m mostly excited about the Shamrock Series because I wrote a one-act musical that is all original music, lyrics and dialogue. It’s brand new. Hopefully, I’ll be able to work with this show in college.”

Ms. Kate E. Reedy, Department of Theatre Arts producer/artistic director/choreographer, said, “We have five brand new shows that were all written by Trinity students, and it is the first time in two years we have been able to bring the public live performances of these student-written-, directed-, designed-, acted-, and run pieces.”

What sets the Shamrock Series apart from the fall and spring plays and musicals?

“Shamrock Series is completely student run,” Reedy said. “Though I work as a mentor and help them through the process, this is their baby and completely their production from start to finish.”

What is your role in the Shamrock Series?

Reedy said, “I make sure everything runs smoothly from the front of house to the box office to backstage to the students’ writing and learning how to put together a show to running the production. Ultimately, the students have put forth a piece for review, and it is my job to make sure it upholds the quality and value that we produce here at Trinity High School Department of Theatre Arts.” 

What is your role in the Shamrock Series?

Senior Sammy Kushner said, “The production stage manager. I oversee all productions to make sure everything is running as smoothly as possible.”

How long has the Trinity Department of Theatre Arts performed the Shamrock Series?

Reedy said, “Technically, this is our fourth annual Shamrock Series, but only our second year live on stage. Our inaugural year was 2019.  The past two years the students wrote new pieces and filmed them outside of school due to COVID-19.  We produced those on our website www.trinitydota.com for our patrons to enjoy.  We are very excited to be back on stage this year.”

Why join the Trinity Department of Theatre Arts?

Kushner said, “Because it is a great experience. The bonds you are going to make will last you a lifetime, and the skills that you will be able to acquire will take you so much farther in life than you ever anticipated.”

Why join the Trinity Department of Theatre Arts?

Mehlbauer said, “I think what really made me join was wanting to try new things, so I would encourage anyone else who is thinking about doing it to just try it. You may be surprised how much you end up liking it.”

What have you learned from your job that you use outside of Trinity?

Reedy said, “New technology uses.  I have had to learn very quickly how to use social media and advertising to our advantage to help get our program and shows out to the public. Learning how to create and run projections for our productions has been a steep learning curve, especially with our spring musical, “The Lightning Thief.”  There were no projections that had been created for this show prior to our production.  So, I had to learn how to create them from scratch, all 97 of them.  And though we are still growing and learning both in advertising and technology uses on stage, I don’t think this is an avenue I would have traversed without the push from my students to really boost our social media presence and try new technical aspects within our department.”

What do you enjoy about working with Trinity theatre?

Reedy said, “The students. They push me to be a better producer/director/choreographer each and every day and to try new ideas in both direction and technical aspects. They never fail to put a smile on my face or make me laugh even when I am having a terrible day. No matter what, these students are always my kids. We are a family. It is the most important piece we work for within our department, being a family.”