A Dramatic Entrance
The door closes behind you. The comforting glow of the hallway lights flees through the doorway, and as the darkness consumes you, you are overcome with emotion. Your heart pounds in your chest, your posture straightens, and an ecstatic combination of excitement and nervousness reaches a climax as you don the personality and temperament of another human being entirely. As if reliving a dream, you are compelled to make your way up the stairs, and you cross the threshold into a brilliant downpour from the stage lights. You turn and scan the sea of people before you, their profiles dimly outlined by the light that inundates the stage. Suddenly, you are the object of attention, focused clearly in the countless eyes shrouded in darkness, your every word and movement soaked up by a silent and eager audience. Your mere presence has never felt so momentous, and for a sweet, fleeting moment, you are on top of the world. You revel in the glory of your mute reign over the crowd until the dream continues, and the fate of a character you know all too well urges you on.
Such is the glorious experience of an ACC student reaping the limelight after months of meticulous rehearsal. This pleasure is known only to a few—the humble members of the ACC drama club—a growing lot that has witnessed a phenomenal change in the leadership and workings of their cherished club over the past four months. Indeed, the arrival of drama director and chorus teacher Mr. Nohl has delivered this club from a two-year-long stint of mediocrity and given these toiling thespians a chance to participate in something that they could be truly proud of. Anyone who had the opportunity to see Mr. Nohl’s first ACC production this fall, “A Night of Mystery” featuring Three Doors to Death and The Real Inspector Hound, is certain to agree that things are different this year.
“Outstanding. Absolutely outstanding,” Fr. Etheredge grins while recalling the two one-acts performed by the drama club just a few weeks ago. “The acting was superior…I thoroughly enjoyed it. And it’s not just me,…people who were there…were raving about it days afterwards.” The principal was quick to take note of the unprecedented caliber of the production, which included the use of a live firearm to pack an extra punch into the on-stage slayings. To make this possible, Mr. Nohl invited a firearms specialist to instruct those involved in the performance about how to use the gun safely. For Fr. Etheredge, this is what makes Mr. Nohl such an asset. “He really wants to teach more than just what is apparent to a musical or a drama.”
Talking with the actors and actresses themselves, it is clear that Mr. Nohl has breathed a new air of confidence into the club’s members. “My experience has been a whole lot better than past years,” says junior Lauren Schweitzer, a three-year veteran of the program. “It’s actually a drama club where we learn how to act, rather than, ‘This is what you’re doing, and you do it exactly like this.’”
An Aurora native with bachelor’s degrees in music and theatre, Mr. Nohl brings years of acting experience to the ACC stage, having performed in over 25 plays and graduated from the Second City Training Center in Chicago. In his own opinion, “I think the fall drama turned out great—a lot better than I expected.” In fact, this was his first play-directing experience. “I didn’t know if I would be good at it, and I always wanted to direct,” he says. “It’s given me a lot more confidence in a lot of different ways.”
Mr. Nohl extends his gratitude to Mrs. Schroeder-Sears for her help with the fall production. Not only did she build and decorate some of the largest set pieces to grace the stage of ACC’s cafetorium, but she also led the makeup crew before each performance. “I think Mrs. Shroeder-Sears did an outstanding job,” Mr. Nohl emphasizes.
According to the new director, there was plenty of room for improvement in the drama club when he started this past August. “I think a lot of things were disorganized. It seemed like a lot of things weren’t taken care of…the light system, the sound system, the actors.” To remedy this situation, Mr. Nohl spent much of his time “devising ways of taking care of [the actors] better, giving them guidance, and having high expectations.”
Mr. Nohl’s efforts seem to have made a noticeable difference for the fall cast. “He really tries to get down to the student’s level,” says Sean Allison (‘10), who starred in Three Doors to Death. Another junior, John Smart, adds, “There is better organization, things are easier to understand,…and practices go a lot smoother.” John, who played a vengeful suspect in the first act of the fall drama and a lifeless corpse in the second, especially appreciates the new director’s personal attention. “He gives good direction, and you always understand exactly what he’s talking about.”
With a successful fall production behind them, Mr. Nohl and the drama club are looking forward to the upcoming spring musical, Carousel. Keeping in mind the current size of the club, this particular musical was chosen because it “relies on six leads and is really ensemble-based, so you don’t need a lot of people to do it,” Mr. Nohl explains. Nonetheless, he still has high hopes for the production. “I would like to build a carousel, and I plan on doing private voice lessons with all of the leads. I really want to make everybody better than they’ve ever been before.”
The club’s actors and actresses cannot wait to get started. “I hope that our musical is as good or even better than our fall drama,” says John Smart. Lauren Schweitzer agrees, “We are going to have an amazing musical. I hope that we learn a lot and have a lot of fun while we’re doing it.”
There is no shortage of expectations for the drama club even farther down the road. “I would like to build up all of the aspects of [the club],” says Mr. Nohl, who hopes to start a summer Shakespeare program this year. “I’d like to make things better, like a better light system, a better sound system, [and] better quality shows.” Fr. Etheredge hopes that the club will have more opportunities for recognition in the future. “I hope…perhaps to have [students] write a one act…following some standard, set either state-wide or nationally, and be able to submit those [in competition]. I’d like [Mr. Nohl] to take the club and push it to the next level.”
“The ultimate goal is to make things more professional, to make it as much like a professional experience as possible,” Mr. Nohl reveals, “so that if kids ever want to do theatre, they don’t go off to college and are shocked by what happens.” Certainly, the new director has made incredible progress in just the past few months alone, and the coming drama season looks to hold even more promise for the club and its members. As freshman Dorothy Allison put it so well, “Rock on Mr. Nohl, rock on!”
