Lights! Camera! Dramafest

by Val Dockter, Reporter

School News

Drama fest is a popular event here at Kamiak High School. Every year, seniors get the opportunity to script, cast, and direct an original one-act play. Auditions and Dramafest are held near the beginning of the school year and last around a month. All this information is advertised to the public, but what happens behind the scenes to make multiple functioning plays?

“65 people auditioned, there was 35 spots,” says Leighton Serrano (‘28), a freshman who auditioned for Dramafest this year and got two callbacks. “Immediately, half the people had to get cut.” Usually, there are ten or eleven plays per year, which allows for a lot of people to audition and make the cast lists. This year, there are only five plays, which is why there were so few spots.

“[The auditions] took three hours. I don’t think I left the school until five, and there were still half the people there,” said Serrano. Dramafest is a considerable commitment, as those part of it are there for hours on end during auditions, rehearsals, and throughout the performances. Rehearsal hours, especially, are long and strenuous for not just the actors and directors, but tech crew as well. For the first couple of weeks, the members were only at Kamiak afterschool for a couple days. 

Once October arrived, most actors were there everyday. This was the case for actors Daphne Renando and Anika Alexy-Liu. Renando is in the play, Bewitched Brews” which was written by Ariana Amador. She got three callbacks after auditions. Alexy-Liu is in I Understand Now, which is directed by Kasper Johansen. She got two callbacks.

“I have an hour of rehearsal from 3 to 4 [everyday after school],” said Renando. Similarly, Alexy-Liu says “It all depends on Kasper’s schedule[…] But usually, [rehearsal has] been at 3 to 4:30 from Monday to Thursday.”

The hours that it takes to be a part of Dramafest are long throughout the whole process. From auditions to show time, participants are likely to be at Kamiak for extra hours on end.

Lyric Conrad (‘26), a junior at Kamiak, also participated in Dramafest when she was a freshman. She was in Off of Cardinal Street, a play that was directed by Calvin Bedner. When asked what her favorite part of the entire experience was, she said “It was probably watching all of the shows.” Additionally, Conrad went on to say, “We would wait for some of our cast members to be done with a club or something that they were doing […] Then, we would see other groups rehearsing, or other groups would mess with us, and I think that was really important, because without that, I wouldn’t know people.”

Throughout the years, Dramafest has brought people together who otherwise wouldn’t have even known each other. Renando, Conrad, and Serrano all agree that the community within Dramafest is kind, caring, open minded, and much more. “The people I’ve met and the community I’ve gotten to know, that’s been the best part,” Renando says. 

While the hours might seem like a lot, it is highly recommended to at least audition for this wonderful experience, because even if an auditioner doesn’t get casted, they might meet new people, make new connections, and become closer with their existing friends. Dramafest is a tremendous experience and opportunity for anyone. Whether watching, directing, or actually acting in the play, there is something for everyone. 

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.