“It is all about learning from the past so that we’re not destined to repeat it,”  Michael Driscoll, the Director of Theater, said about the fall play “Rose and the Rime.” The play is set in Radio Falls, a town trapped in a long winter. The town was cursed by the Rime Witch, and Rose, the protagonist, was inspired to save the town after hearing this story from her uncle— Roger. Rose ventured across the blizzard and successfully brought spring to the town by taking a coin from the witch in the mountain. However, seeing all the luck that the magical coin brought to Rose, jealousy grew among the people of Radio Falls, and people wanted to also benefit from the coin. Finally, a conflict burst, and Uncle Roger was accidentally killed. This angered Rose and turned her into the next Rime Witch, bringing the long winter back again.

The play featured a fantastic cast and crew filled with enthusiasm, along with special staging that allowed the audience to sit on the stage with the actors. Grace Wang ‘27, who played Dorothea, said, “Definitely the tech part [was great]. The making of the backboard and the trees that hang up are all great efforts of Mr. Koenig and the crew members, which helped the audience to fully engage in the play.” These wonderful additions to the play are dedicated to the people behind the scenes. This year, Katie Martin ‘25 served as the light designer, and Jeff Zavelsky ‘26 was the sound designer. Additionally, underclassmen were able to learn more about their role in backstage production. Paul Schumacher, though relatively new to the theater, was the stage manager, leading the crew and helping manage actors on stage.

The audience responded enthusiastically to the production. Eden Cortes ‘26 stated, “They were put through tough professional conditions, and I think they exceeded my expectations of usual LFA plays.” The detailed plot and the vivid characters with their very own background stories contributed to the play’s success and positive rating.

As the director of the play, Driscoll expressed how impressed he was by the performance of the actors. He was also surprised how the actors embraced and adapted to a type of theater. The actors were asked to be wolves, trees, and blizzards, roles that they usually would not take on. Even so, they carried out the spirit of their characters. However, there were challenges. According to Driscoll, “We have a really short amount of time to put up a big piece of theater.” It was especially hard to make sure that every actor and crew member became comfortable with their role in the final product. Although there were  concerns, it was certain that the team worked through these challenges and presented the community with their best selves.

As the end of the fall season approaches, auditions for the winter musical began. Driscoll and the community are looking forward to the final production of The Prom. The auditions evaluated actors on the songs for which the actors were chosen and the dance pieces that the choreographer prepared for the dance call. When choosing actors for the musical, the production looked for people who were willing to take risks, have big hearts, and who love to sing and dance. The charm of the musical is that it is open to all different types of students. Since it is an ensemble-heavy musical, there are 55 different roles for everyone who wants to join.

Discroll decided on The Prom as the musical not only because it provides more roles for the students, but also because it has a story to tell. The musical is about a young girl, Emma, who is trying to bring her girlfriend to the prom in a small town in Indiana. However, the town rejects this request and shuts down the prom. Another one of Driscoll’s motivation for choosing The Prom, is to illustrate the societal concern of people today who are different and are blocked from being their true and authentic selves. Through the musical, Driscoll also wants to convey this idea that we can all exist with our own individual ideology and the idea that “nobody out there ever gets to define the life I meant to lead with this unruly heart of mine.” Most importantly, to send out a beautiful reminder to create a place where people love and embrace each other’s differences.