Among all the cherished programs provided at Dimond High School, drama is unlike the rest.

      Over the years, Dimond’s drama department has produced countless memorable plays including everything from full-blown musicals to Dimond’s classic end-of-the-year performance, Dimond Night Live.

      One of the best opportunities that Dimond’s drama program provides is flexibility.

      Students who are not interested in acting, but still hope to be involved with the production and management of school plays, are able to get involved with technical work, behind the scenes preparation and costume designs.

       Those who do not have free time outside of school are able to join the drama club; a club which welcomes all and supports their drama passions.

       This year, three plays will be shown. The first, which comes out around Halloween, is called ‘Nightfall’ by Edgar Allen Poe. Auditions have taken place, and the cast is busy memorizing their lines and getting excited to perform.

       Morgan Wiegele, a senior at Dimond and co-president of Drama Club, said, “I’ve only been acting for about three years, but I love it. I loved being a part of ‘The Sound of Music’ [in early 2016]. It’s my favorite musical and the cast was amazing. I was recently cast in our recent play, ‘Nightfall’ with Edgar Allen Poe, and I plan on being a part our musical ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’, as well as DNL.”

       Dimond’s second play of the incoming year will be the 1920s musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.

        Dimond Registrar Carrie Smith, director, said, ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ will be performed in February and it’s a musical with jazz. I’m really excited for the costumes on that one.”

      Allison Robancho, a senior at Dimond and a longtime member of Dimond drama, said, “Joining drama in Dimond makes me better by just being myself around others and being able to stand up for what’s right. When I first started at Dimond, I was always insecure on what I wear, how I would talk or how would I interact with other people.

         When it comes to acting, it makes me feel confident about myself because you’re impersonating someone else from the script. It’s funny to think that characters from paper would impact your life somehow. But I had other people whom helped me with it.”

       Even after high school, Dimond drama lives on through its amazing actors and participants.

       Walker Platzek, a Dimond graduate from the class of 2016, said, “I miss acting in DHS theater a lot. It was a time when the work made sense and I understood the rules well. It’s my home environment that I can’t get back.”

        “The biggest tip I can give to any new actor is to remember that none of this really matters. Which is to say that you shouldn’t worry about messing up so much, because theater should be enjoyable, so enjoy it. No one in that audience is going to remember any mistake you made when the next day rolls around, so don’t carry your performance anxiety and your clingy mistakes any longer. If you mess up, you can always fix it or always improve. It’s just a high school play, you got this.”

         It’s important to remember that mistakes are all a part of the learning process. Just keep going and remember to have fun, that is what drama is all about.