Extracurriculars are a staple in the high school experience and many are offered so students have multiple options to choose from, but for Junior Morgan Sanders theater has always been her clear top choice. Sanders has performed in many productions, most recently The Taming of the Shrew, and explained the extensive work that goes into each show so that they run without error and are enjoyable for the audience.

“The rehearsal process typically takes about two months and throughout that process we learn our lines, get off book, kind of become familiar with our characters and the story,” said Sanders. “We just work together and try and develop relationships and chemistry with everybody and the show and our characters pretty much.”

The stage experience can be different for everyone, and it can be easy to get nervous in front of a crowd of people. Sanders shared what performing is like for her, and how she feels transforming into characters that differ from her everyday self to contribute to a storyline.

“Whenever I’m on stage, it’s not that I forget that I’m performing or that I forget that there’s an audience,” said Sanders. “I feel like I’m just telling a story, and it always feels like the most pure form of myself.”

Since she was young, Sanders has enjoyed being on stage and has continued to do so high school. She explained what brings her back every year to become characters and participate in plays with her fellow theater classmates.

“I’ve been performing my whole life, but I started doing theater in third grade.” “My passion for theater definitely keeps me going, just my love for being on stage and performing, and telling stories is what keeps me motivated.”