Featured Performer: Meg McSweeney

Senior Meg McSweeney has been looking forward to her Frequent Friday and Advanced Repertory Theater since she was in drama as a freshman. Her show, “Pleasant Nightmares, ” is set to take the Little Theater stage on Sept. 23, kicking off the Advanced Rep. season.

Q. What has it been like going through the process to finally reach Advanced Rep. and your own show?

A.When I first started taking drama, I knew ultimately I would want my own show because I was interested in writing from day one. It has always been the end goal for me to get to a Frequent Friday. That is the only reason I stuck it out throughout high school.  

Q. How would you describe your Frequent Friday?

A. It all takes place inside the mind of a teenage boy focusing on the characters that he has created in his head over his lifetime. These characters control his dreams and decide whether to scare him or make him happy. He creates this girl that is supposed to be his “dream girl,” and it [the show] is mostly from her perspective.

Q. What was the process like for creating your own show?

A. During Repertory Theater you write short, one act plays, and you can only cast the rest of your class. I wanted to make my Frequent Friday like my one act, which took place in Purgatory, the area after death before Heaven or Hell. I wanted it to have the same tone as my one act where it is set in a different world where it doesn’t really make much sense. I started writing it at the end of junior year, and I just finished it the day before my auditions. This casting process was different because I got to pick who was in the show. Before I had to write a show that fit more around the specific people in my Advanced Rep. class.

Q. How would you describe your theater experience at East overall?

A. Awesome. It has really been the best experience. It is honestly the only reason I come to school besides legally having to. There is nothing more important to me than theater.

Q. Do you plan on continuing theater outside of high school?

A. That is why I chose to write my own Frequent Friday, because I am not sure whether I want to apply to schools as a playwright or director. I thought I would just knock them out in one and be the playwright and director. Right now I am looking at Chicago because it is a great theater city. Columbia College is a really cool performing arts school. I plan on either majoring in screenwriting, directing or stage management.