From plays featured during the fall, spring, and winter to the annual Glenbrook Musical, seniors Coco Schlucter, Mia Hermann, and Lidiia Okilko have gained unique experiences and a community of  lifelong friends.

For everyone who is willing to take the next steps into the performing arts, theater is a great way to get involved here at South, Okilko said. The only way to jump into theater is to audition for South’s various productions, Okilko said.

Despite the myth that upperclassmen only get lead roles, there have been multiple cases of underclassmen scoring leads in the past few years, Okilko explained. After transferring from Ukraine to South in 2022, Okilko, herself, attained two lead roles as a sophomore.

“It’s really just talent and passion that you have to have,” Okilko said. “Be yourself and join [South theater] if that’s what calls you.”

Schlucter agreed with Okilko and added that a reason underclassmen may not get as many lead roles as upperclassmen is due to inexperience and not a lack of talent.

“I probably didn’t rehearse [as an underclassman] as much as I do now,” Schlucter said. “Once you start acting, you get this experience under your belt. You can [then] move forward knowing that, ‘Oh, I’ve done this before.’ I just need to do my best and get a little bit better each time.”

The first audition is scary, but it is necessary for actors to gain that experience, Hermann said, who recalled forgetting her lines during her first audition.

“Walking into my first fall play audition, I was definitely disoriented,” Hermann said. “But if you walk in and you’re like, ‘I’m going to do what I’m going to do and whatever happens is where I’m supposed to be.’ Being confident shows the director that you are ready for that world.”

Preparation is key for any audition, each of the seniors agreed. Going to every workshop and audition along with studying your lines and materials is the best way to reach your casting goals, Schlucter said.

“I feel happy that [I joined the theater department],” Okilko said. “If I didn’t, I would miss out on such great people and such [great] teachers and faculty, opportunities you [can’t] get anywhere else.”