BWW Blog: Christopher Panella - Student Leaders in the Theater 

The past month was a jam-packed rush of rehearsals, Thespian competition, and performance after performance. Thus, I apologize for not writing. My lack of blogs is partially because of my schedule and partially because I needed new material to write about. I didn't realize that my jam-packed schedule could be the source for my new material.

Over the past month, I worked heavily with cast and crew of Fort Lauderdale High School's The Drowsy Chaperone. As a senior, I found myself in a leadership position. I started rehearsals, gave notes, answered questions. As a student, the theater is the perfect place to try new things and have fun. The same goes for student leaders. Student leaders are the bridge between the directors and the cast and crew. These leaders can be the perfect go-to people, especially during lengthy rehearsals. At Fort Lauderdale High School, the student leaders of the Stageplayers are the best at their jobs, like Gabriela Cornejo, Christian Garcia, and Quinn Swearingen. All of these seniors are constantly sacrificing their time and effort to ensure the production is as smooth as possible. Student leadership in our drama club is granted to students who take charge, own their jobs, and dedicate themselves. The same is said for other drama clubs and performance groups across the world. I love being a student leader and I figure if you're reading this (I hope you are), you want to be one too.

To become a student leader, you need to care about your club and your job. It isn't enough to be good at what you do. Every tech person has the potential to be good at their job. You need to dedicate yourself to it in order to show people you're a leader they can follow. My favorite example of this is the Stageplayers' Gabriela Cornejo. Gabriela started out as a backstage crew member her freshman year. With hard work and love, she became our lighting director. I don't know what this club would do without her. Gabriela wasn't a natural leader, but she became one through showing her dedication to our productions and this club. Gabriela was always good at tech and crew, but she didn't become a student leader until she showed how much she cared about tech and crew.

Personally, directing is a dream job. I love helping people build the path to their own success. I'm quite good at giving direction (my mom always tells me I'm bossy) but it wasn't until I showed how much I cared about those directions and the success of the production that I became a student leader.

I hope this guide helps you become a leader in your theater. And even if you aren't the go-to person, remember that staying on task and giving 120% every rehearsal make you a leader, too.

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