Here at Wahlert, most of the talk is about sports, classes, or big theatre productions like Little Shop of Horrors. But what some people may not know is that there is a smaller fall production in progress. Right now, the freshman and sophomore Thespians are hard at work memorizing lines and working on the plays they will perform when December rolls around. And if you’ve ever been in or seen a play or musical, you know how much effort the actors, actresses, and stage crew put into the shows. 

Unlike last year, the upperclassmen are writing the four plays the freshmen and sophomores will put on this year. 

“Eva Wahlert, ‘20, and I worked together in the beginning, bouncing ideas off of one another to get a plotline,” Ella Schmidt, ‘21 said. “It took hours, but we finally developed a plotline. After that, we started to write together. We again bounced ideas off of one another to make sure things didn’t sound dumb. There were scenes that were written individually though, and in those, we used our best judgment and then went back and edited everything together!”

Schmidt and Wahlert co-wrote “Choking Hazard,” one of the plays in the production. 

Anna Spahn, ‘21, had a similar process. “The best is when Nick Nachtman, ‘20, and I have a collective ‘a ha!’ moment when writing in the middle of a coffee shop. It’s really easy to feel discouraged, but working together and being able to bounce ideas off of each other makes those moments pass pretty quickly. Nick is one of my best friends, so it’s been a lot of fun getting to do this with him!” 

Together, Spahn and Nachtman worked together to write “Farmer’s Market,” which will also be performed.

While the upperclassmen were writing these productions, many people also auditioned for Plays on a Street. In the freshman-sophomore shows, everyone who tries out gets a role. Therefore, it can be difficult for the directors to choose who would be the perfect match for each character, especially since they have to cast for four different plays. Because of this, some individuals will take part in two or more productions. 

Ayden Lochner, ‘23, is one of these people. She seems to relish being in more than one play at a time. “It’s not as hard as you think it would be,” said Ayden. “It’s more fun. You’re in two different casts, and you have two different families in a way.”

Another big part of these shows is one’s stage presence. Since there are four plays, each performance is shorter than a regular production typically is. Everyone involved gets to bring out their crazy side to put on a show for the audience. 

Veronica McDonald, ‘22, for instance, gets to sing badly for the play called “Farmer’s Market,” and Kylee Mitwede, ‘22, is excited because her character in “Choking Hazard” blows up at someone because she “almost got killed” by a plant. 

“Plays on a Street” has been a rewarding process, despite its being a lot of hard work. Abby Wagner, ‘21, co-writer of “Coffee Break,” said, “It’s something Allie Arnz, ‘20, and I are extremely proud of and cannot wait to showcase for our school and community!” 

“Plays on a Street” will be performed in December in the Wahlert theatre. Dates and times have yet to be determined.