Starlight Theatre Company officer and senior director Christian Haddad brings major motion picture, “James and the Giant Peach,” to life with the help of a handful of students and just weeks to pull it off.
Eight shows, directed by seniors will be showcased to elementary schools around Austin for the 2013 children show productions.
“To say there’s a lot of pressure is a gross understatement, but being a senior director means making ‘it’ happen, when before I had just been a part of the show,” Haddad said.
Directors decide what costumes, props, set design, sound, and lights will be in the performance.
“It’s one of those things where you snap your fingers and hope something comes to you, which may be 99 percent of being a director,” Haddad said.
The seniors are chosen by directors and put in more than eight hours a week after school and on weekends preparing for shows.
“It’s like being a bagger at HEB and looking to be the manager, once you’ve made that then you look to be the regional manager and so on. Being a senior director is finally getting there,” Haddad said.
Haddad chose among his friends and peers for his production and decided who would make what part and how he wanted them to portray each character.
Haddad began his acting career at a young age, starting with commercials and UT films through the talent agency, Acclaim Talent.
Playing lead character, James, in Haddad’s show, Sully Dildine, acts in his first production ever.
“I had been hoping and dreaming, but it was one of those ‘I hope I win the lottery things’,” Dildine said.
Children Shows and senior one-act plays allow directors to take a step back and allow senior directors to learn from experience and teach other students.
“I have full confidence of the students in the company. I think they have gained knowledge that they need from class with us and that they’ve made great decisions with their children shows, ” tech and theatre teacher Kalyn Holloway said.
While Children Shows are rehearsing directors are working on the musical and helping out the senior directors if needed.
“The students here are naturally talented and coming from teaching at other schools I can say that I think this is the best school in Austin for theatre,” Holloway said.
Along with Haddad’s show, seven other senior directed plays will be performed in the auditorium on Thursday Nov. 14 through Friday Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. for 5 dollars at the door.