Seniors and freshmen could not be more different. While seniors are getting ready to graduate, freshmen are just entering high school. They are in completely different worlds at school. But one place where all grades are brought together is the drama department. Anyone involved in the drama department spends hours getting to know each other and creating bonds across grades. Is this the one place seniors and freshmen have equal opportunities? Or are they still divided?

“You definitely have a different perspective on it you are a little bit more wide-eyed and confused when you’re a freshman, but when you’re a senior you’re like ‘okay, I know how it works, I know my  goals, I know what we can accomplish and I really wanna see it happen.” Senior Dylan Dean said.

Within the drama department, there are a few definite ways seniors are different from freshmen.

“They are more likely to get bigger roles and they’re also a little bit better than the freshman, but I think they’re not too much different, they’re still nice to us.” Freshman Alex Finch said.

Why is it that generally, seniors get better roles?

“Experience, you know. We’ll come in and often we can identify freshmen who’ve got a lot of potential. They can show us that but you can tell that they are green. They don’t have the experience yet. That doesn’t mean that they are not right for certain roles, things like that. Just looking for the differences. Your seniors come in a lot more confident, sometimes overconfident but a lot more confident. Because they have been through it before, they know what it’s like they’ve been through the experience, so they’re more comfortable. They are not as nervous or shaking up there like some freshmen are so they tend to give a little bit better audition because they have that experience to go off of.” Theater teacher Micah Hensley said.

The truth of the matter is that not everyone will have the same level of experience as others in their own grade.

 “Just coming into the theater department, just like new, cause there are some like sophomores and like seniors who come in just like brand new, like this is their first year doing it, it’s not as common but people still do it so they all get that kind of ‘this is what high school theater is like’ experience.” Finch said.

What chance do the newcomers even have to even get roles though?

“I believe that everything is truly based on your audition, it’s just freshmen usually aren’t as experienced as the seniors.” Dean said.

So if your grade doesn’t prohibit you from getting a role, what should you do to give a good audition?

“Prepare. I have always those people who come in and haven’t prepared and you can tell and then they wonder, well why didn’t they didn’t do better? Preparation is part of it and how you prepare shows me what your work ethic is going to be, right? People who come in and they have worked hard to be ready, they’re showing me one thing. People who haven’t, they’re showing me that they’re probably not going to work hard if I give them a part too. So you know, just preparation, doing your part to prepare.” Hensley said.

With all grades working together for the upcoming musical “Anastasia,” there is excitement brewing. 

“It’s gonna be really good, everyone in it is unbelievably talented. So how the show is it’s the legend of Anastasia so it is a young girl, whose entire family, the Romanov Family, during the Russian revolution was murdered, so the revolution took over and so there was a new government and everything to where suddenly the quality of life is much lower but, there is a legend that Anastasia, stayed alive, but she has amnesia so she has to go on a journey to discover who she is.” Dean said.