Ashland High School is well known for their impressive theatre department. They do three large performances each year two of which are musicals. Although that fact is well known, most people don’t know that before the first major performance there is small, short performance put on by the entire drama club, all the theatre classes, and the tech crew. This performance has been an Ashland High tradition for over 20 years now. Known as Back to the Theatre Night, this performance includes short skits from each theatre class, some singing, and a teaser for the upcoming performance.

Back to the Theatre Night is also used to promote the drama club and excite people about seeing the school’s performances. The first musical, called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying will open on November 6 and run until November 15 in the AHS Mountain Theatre. This night of  drama students  and community members coming together also gives the drama club an open space to advertise and try to raise money for events throughout the year.

Not only is Back to the Theatre Night great for advertising, but students also enjoy putting it together and performing in it.

“I had a great time on stage and getting to put on a show with my friends. I liked how everyone who performed pulled through and came together to make good skits  and put that level of trust in each other. I think my favorite part of the whole night was actually at the end when everyone in drama club and in each of the theatre classes came on stage together to sing ‘Lean On Me’ because it just showed how close the we all get to each other by putting this difficult night together and making it look good. I’m a freshman so this is only my first time doing it, but I’m looking forward to doing it each year for the rest of high school.” -Jasper Rose

Betsy Bishop, head of the drama and tech departments at the school, has made this night possible by her dedication and love of the theatre. She is the driving force behind the success and recognition of our drama department. Between her, the school’s amazing tech crew, and of course the students without whom these nights wouldn’t be possible, Back to the Theatre Night was quite successful this year.

“I really enjoyed Back to the Theatre Night. There was so much talent  stage, everyone was serious about it, everyone was able to participate with the group and communicate with each other. It looked like all the actors on stage enjoyed what they were doing, and were just having a great time. I’ve been in a few small productions in the past, nothing major, but I did enjoy it. I’d already been thinking about joining theatre here because I know it can really increase your social skills and give you great experience talking in front of crowds, which could be really beneficial in college and even in high school. I’m not currently in theatre, but I went to Back to the Theatre Night because as I said, I’ve been thinking a lot about joining theatre. I have family members that did theatre in high school, and they say that it really helped them overcome their fears of talking in front of people. I feel like the people on stage all had really close bonds and trusted each other enough to take risks on stage, so that makes me think that theatre and drama would be a great chance to build strong social bonds with people all throughout high school. I do have a few friends in theatre, and they’re all really close friends and it’s obvious that they trust each other. It seems like a place where students can go  and just be themselves, trust each other, and make freindships that  will last them all throughout their high school careers.” -Kyan Harvey