Paige Layman, a Voorheesville sophomore has an interest in theatre and is currently the stage manager for the school’s spring production, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, which will debut at the high school on March 18. “I think it is very cool to see a show develop from beginning to end,” she said.
This school year, Paige and another VCSD drama student, Courtney Wight, earned an opportunity to complete a program at Proctors that gives students access to industry leaders and lessons behind the scenes with a major Broadway touring show. They were among 15 area students chosen for Proctors Collaborative School of the Arts’ Broadway Tech program for the musical AIN’T TOO PROUD. The workshops and sessions centered around stage and production management, audio, lighting, and costumes. It helped Paige learn specifics about a variety of roles. “I was able to get a better understanding of how all the different departments within a show work together to make the final product,” Paige said, “It is important to know what is happening everywhere and how it is done, so you can help with anything that you need.”
“I think my experience at Proctors really showed me the career opportunities that are available and it is definitely something I would enjoy and am thinking about,” Paige said. “When the Broadway Tech program was announced, I immediately contacted Paige because I knew she would dive into it with the curiosity and desire to learn that I had already witnessed from having worked with her remotely,” said Drama Club Director Robert Whiteman. “It timed out beautifully that she could attend the program before we had to enter our audition and rehearsal period for our spring 2022 production.”
Paige thought she was a good fit for the Proctors program too. She saw it as an opportunity to build on the experience she already had with lights for two years, sound for four years, and as a stage manager in last year’s production, The Drowsy Chaperone, which was mostly virtual. Mr. Whiteman noted “Working virtually is a completely separate type of experience when putting together a musical. I had hoped that we would return to something in person so that she would experience the difference and continue to develop the wide range of talents she already demonstrated. Indeed, we were granted the opportunity to return to the high school stage this year.”
As the stage manager for the spring production, Mr. Whiteman said, “We have five underclassmen working with Paige to shadow and assist her. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring some of the professional techniques and procedures into our experience and have Paige, in her outstanding manner, model that for those coming up through our program.”
If you are an individual or business who is in a position to support the drama club, they are seeking sponsors, program advertisers, and grants to help them overcome financial setbacks incurred the last couple of years. Please contact Robert Whiteman at rwhiteman@voorheesville.org.
To keep up with the latest details leading up to the spring production, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, follow the drama club on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @villedionysians.