Curtains Closing: Stage Right seniors reminisce on time, experience with performing arts

The room fills with chatter as the performers begin rehearsal. They answer the question of the day to take attendance and get ready to begin singing. The seniors rush to the front row to grab seats together. The recording starts to play and the group begins their warm up song — “Shallow.” 

Stage Right Performing Arts is a company that trains elementary to high school students in performing arts. They work on three areas of performance — singing, dancing and acting. Additionally, it also provides a place for the students to feel comfortable and form a community. 

Each of the seniors joined the program at different points in their life, but they all spend Thursday nights from 7 to 9 together performing — no matter if it’s Halloween or finals week. The students love the program so much they still choose to go with hours of homework and college essays to write. For the directors, attendance is just as important — one of them even missed his child’s first Halloween to be there with the students. 

With their final year as Stage Right performers almost half over, the group is savoring what little time they have left together by attending as much as they can.

One of the seniors, Janie Carr, finds joy in every part of practice, especially the attendance questions.

“It’s nice to really get to know everyone,” Carr said. “I love coming into the room at the beginning of rehearsal and seeing my friends and giving them hugs. I have never had that at any other place.”

Donna West, the founder of Stage Right, created the program to give students this sense of community. 

“It is a place where everyone belongs,” West said. “We have people that are so crazy talented and we have people that just want to try and sing and dance, but they can’t tell their left from their right. We don’t turn anyone away.” 

For performer Paige Lynch and others, Stage Right is a place where people can find a community of people who care for them. 

“It has given me time with them outside of school,” Lynch said. “I would have never thought I would be friends with the people I am now, and it is thanks to Stage Right that I have these friends.”

Part of their special connection stems from inside jokes. The connections come from bonfires at Lynch’s house or intense conversations at 2 a.m. about their lives. They usually involve making nicknames for each other and revolve around traditions like a group chat named “Boom,” which includes every guy in Stage Right and inspired a dance move that mirrors the disco dancing emoji. They try to incorporate the dance move into every choreographed dance. 

Another inside joke is the group has nicknames for each other such as Janious, Paigious, and Lucious. The inside jokes are constant and there are too many of them to count. 

One of the seniors, Lucy Brock believes that no one can truly understand what it is like to be in Stage Right unless they are a part of the program. 

“Performing together is really special and it forges a special connection because you are all doing something you love with people you love,” Brock said. 

The connection goes beyond just the performers to the directors. Aggie Williams believes that Stage right has given her a place where adults other than her parents care for her — they see a gift in her and continue to push her. One of these motivators is Donna West, aka “Don Don” or “Mamma Don”. 

“They are all like my own children,” West said. “All five of these kids are a piece of my heart.”

Her mentality towards to students is what creates such a welcoming environment. According to Aiden Connelly, West is someone for students to turn to for guidance and encouragement.

“I don’t think I would be half the performer I am if [West] hadn’t believed in me and given me confidence,” Connelly said. 

It isn’t just Connelly that feels this way. Kala Christian has also grown from her experiences in Stage Right. 

“I am more of a quiet, shy person,” Christian said. “It’s gotten me to step out of my comfort zone a lot, and it has given me so much confidence. I went from being this super shy third-grader, who didn’t talk to anyone … and now I am the president [of Stage Right].”

West feels the same love and gratitude towards the seniors. She will never let them truly leave. 

“I still keep up with so many of our kids.” West said. “They come to our house, they come to rehearsals, we go to weddings, we go to wedding showers. I will never ever be out of their lives.”

The seniors will never truly leave Stage Right. They will always have the memories from their time spent together and all hope to come back in the future, whether it is to watch future productions or direct their own.