Every year, the Lincoln High School drama department puts up three plays; one in the fall, winter, and spring. This winter, they worked on an entirely new project: five plays directed entirely by students.

“The the theme of our plays as a whole is ‘truth and perception’” says student director and Sophomore Caroline Moore. She worked on one of the plays as a director, co-directing with Sophomore Suresh Sehdev.

The plays are “exploring people’s different circumstances and situations, and show how different people can perceive the same truth,” says Sehdev.

“It explores one theme in five different ways, so it’ll be appealing to all audiences. There are different types of plays, different genres, and different moods so you really get a well-rounded experience,” Sehdev adds.

Usually, the drama department has “guest directors come in or Mr. Peerenboom [the theater teacher] does the directing, so [having student directors] switches it up,” observes Moore. “It’s a new perspective.”

Going into the project directing, the two were concerned about a power struggle. “We’re very young directors,” says Sehdev. “At first, because of our age we [wondered] ‘is there going to be a power struggle?’ between people who are eighteen being directed by fifteen [and sixteen] year olds.”

Nonetheless, “everyone’s been super respectful,” says Moore.

From the perspective of an actor, Freshman Jared Reynolds notes that “it’s a bit different, but they’re trying to make it very professional.” Altogether, though, “it doesn’t feel much different than having an [adult] director. They seem to know what they’re doing.”

As a director, Sehdev also observes that “normally when you go and see a play it’s all directed by adults. These are all directed by kids the audiences’ age [and] Lincoln’s age, and we’re directing if for them. […] We’re directing it how we find it interesting, and so it’ll be more interesting for the audience.”

In the words of Moore, “[people] should come to see the play to support the Lincoln community, and all their friends who are in the plays, because I’m sure they have a class with at least one person in the shows.”