“Whenever there's a problem, DJ is the problem solver.”  These succinct words from Crow Richardson, the Timberline theater light technician, encapsulate DJ Swan’s theater responsibilities.

“DJ wears a lot of hats,”  echoed drama teacher and director, Robin Tuckett. As the drama club president and the stage manager for both the fall play and spring musical, Swan juggles a multitude of responsibilities. “As drama club president they prepare things for club days,” said Tuckett,  “As stage manager, they are responsible for keeping the show together.”

Swan is in charge of “calling” the show, this means that any “cues”, or actions, need to be called by Swan before they are done. There are upwards of 500 cues per show, and Swan has to memorize and call them all. Richard explained it by saying, “DJ is like the backbone of the theater.” 

Swan found the theater department, and their place in it, during their sophomore year. “I was going through a very hard time that year, and being a part of the crew was sort of my anchor, it still is in a lot of ways,” said Swan, “I believe pretty strongly that I've found my place in the world through theater.”

Tuckett watched Swan grow a lot in the past few years. “From a shy sophomore to this powerhouse of a senior that they are,” commented Tuckett, “It has been a joy and an honor to watch it happen.”

In that time, Swan has impressed Tuckett with their supportive leadership towards the rest of the crew, “DJ honors their intelligence and respects them as humans and therefore holds them accountable for what they need to contribute.” Tuckett praised the success of the strategy, “Because of that leadership, everyone rises to the occasion.”

Tuckett continued to say, “I don’t think everyone can see how much they are doing and how hard they are working.” Despite their humility, Tuckett believes that Swan’s accomplishments speak for themselves, “They don’t show off everything they’ve been doing, but you still feel it.”

 “They appreciate not only the process of creating but the understanding that you can’t do it all,” said Tuckett. She described theater as a puzzle and complemented Swan’s understanding that all the necessary pieces required to make the final picture can not be done alone.  

Outside of class, Swan also works in the after-school musical every year, “The musical is always such an amazing experience, especially as someone who is deeply involved in every aspect of the process.” The musical is a large but welcome commitment, “It ends up taking over my life in the best way possible. It's like Christmas is coming,” shared Swan.

Last year’s production, Pippin, was Swan’s first official experience as the stage manager. They looked back on the closing night of the show and said, “[It was a] room full of people who had shown me nothing but compassion throughout the entire process, I felt so full of love.”

“I credit all of the actors, the crew, and the Tucketts that worked on Pippin with solidifying my feelings about continuing to work in theater after high school,” said Swan, “I will forever be grateful that it was my first show as a Stage Manager.”

Of course, not every theater experience is full of sunshine and rainbows. “There have been times where I have to really prepare myself to work with a rude director or one that is extremely particular. I've had to work with actors who pretend I don't exist or yell at me for just doing my job,” said Swan. 

However, instead of letting the bad spoil the good, Swan chooses to look at these experiences as lessons, “I now know that you have to do hard things in the industry to get work, I know how important it is to set clear boundaries to keep myself and my peers safe, and I know that I can do hard and frustrating things.”

Thanks to that mindset, Swan still has an overall positive impression of their time in theater. “It's important to note that for every one 'bad' experience I've had, there's three good ones that make up for it,” they said.

After three years in the department, Swan will have to say goodbye to Timberline Theater this spring. The good news is that saying goodbye is a necessary part of theater, so Swan has experience. “It's such a temporary art that you have to get used to putting your heart into something that will eventually be doomed to the back of the props closet,” said Swan. Of course, Swan will not be going into a props closet, but onto the next chapter.

 “I really hope to leave a legacy here,” they said, “I want to start things this year that will continue to happen and develop further after I graduate and will allow the department to really shine.” Swan works hard every day to rebuild, maintain, and enhance the program. “It's like I'm giving back what I owe to the theater,” they said.

Looking into the future, Swan is sure theater will still be there, “No matter where I go after this, it's just who I am to continue to make art.” The future is uncertain, but Swan will continue to carry the lessons and passion they have found at Timberline, no matter where they go. “Maybe I'll be the one to bring back Stage Management awards to the Tonys, you never know.”