The Highline High School Drama Club roars back to life with a new show, new direction, and a renewed belief in the transformative power of Art.
While Highline High School has always offered a Drama Class, their Drama Club has lain dormant since before the pandemic. That changed when Greyson Schwieger joined the school as Drama Director in the ’22-’23 school year.
Since Schwieger took the reins of the program in the Fall of ’23, the Drama Department has successfully expanded into providing a two-tier class option (Drama 1 & 2), instated an annual Winter Variety Show fundraiser, secured grant funding, and produced two full-length musicals, more than doubling their funds and student participation.
“Under my direction, we are a new program,” Schwieger says of his success, “[We’re] building from the ground up, and I feel grateful that we have been on an upward trajectory that I feel will only continue to grow.”
The Drama Club is in the middle of the run of its second full-length musical, The Prom, a show that confronts LGBTQIA+ rights and social equality issues head-on.
“We are in a crazy place in history right now and are dealing with so many topics and actions that directly affect our student body,” Schwieger says of the show. “As theatre is an art form, I wanted to push our actors to express what they might not feel comfortable or confident to express in their everyday setting. It is not only important, but essential, in my eyes, that my students are able to use their voice for change, and in turn challenge their artistry”.
The story of The Prom centers on a group of Broadway actors looking for some good publicity who travel to a small town to support a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to prom — a narrative inspired by real-life events and adapted into a Netflix film in 2020.
“Every single member of our cast, production, and tech team is represented within this show,” Schwieger points out. “Whether they are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC, or an ally of either/both, everyone can connect with this show. Our cast has been able to bond over both their similarities and their differences to create a show that promotes acceptance, encourages change, and exudes joy! Never once have they been afraid to have these discussions, portray characters and ideals across the political spectrum, and I hope our audiences find the same comfort in this uncomfortable time.”
Schwieger hopes the courage of his students to come out of their shells and raise their voices for change will help amplify the importance of teaching drama in high schools.
“The arts and storytelling are essential!” Schwieger emphasizes. “We are one of the far too few Drama programs within the district, and I hope that our successes will inspire decision makers to support the inclusion of performing arts.”
Teaching drama is not just about training students in soft skills: for Schwieger, it’s how we transform the world through empathy.
“I am a firm believer that it is through storytelling we are most commonly able to create empathy, and it is incredibly satisfying to be able to teach that lesson throughout the majority of the classes I teach,” Schwieger says of his creative work at Highline. “I hope to continue to develop our Drama program, along with Film Studies, so our students can continue to inspire change through mediums we all interact with every day.”
The Prom runs Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m., Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. and a matinee finale on Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door. Cash only, $8 w/student ID, $10 under 18, and $15 over 18.
The post New Director sparks artistic renaissance at Highline High School’s Drama Club appeared first on The B-Town (Burien) Blog.