The annual Donna Mavros show took place March 15 and 16 at the SC PAC. The shows featured this year consisted of “Suspect to Change,” directed by Djordje Negovanovic ‘24; “Blueberry Hill Accords,” directed by Jayla Morgan ‘24; “Babes in Gangland or the Godmother” directed by Emma White ‘24, and “Romeo and Juliet, a 30 Minute Shakespeare” directed by Grace Simmons ‘24. 

“It’s fun because you get to see different styles of performance and acting that aren’t maybe what adult directors would have in mind,” theater board sponsor Michael Kuehl said. “It is definitely more pleasing towards the teenage audience.”

Named after former theater teacher of 32 years, Donna Mavros, this production is an opportunity for senior students who apply to direct a one-act show on stage. This includes selecting and casting the show, rehearsal, costuming, and other production components. 

“The show is entirely student run,” Kuehl said. “The directing side is a big dose of leadership and organization skills. As student actors, they kind of just show up and know their lines, but when you’re directing, you’ve got to think about everything that goes into that performance.” 

Selected as a director this year, she was at first overwhelmed, but excited to bring her show to life, Jayla Morgan said. 

“I went into it with the mindset of being considerate of my actors, because I have been an actor and I know the process,” she said. “I wanted to be mindful of how long I have them for, making sure everyone has food, and allocating time to just breathe.” 

The different elements of the story can be challenging, but are integral to helping the viewer understand the message better, she said. Having to consider all aspects of the production process is a valuable learning experience for students who take part.  

“My actors are really making the show come alive,” Morgan said. “It’s nice to be behind the scenes and just guiding the greatness of my actors, because I’m not making them great. I’m helping them be greater. I am truly just watching [the show] come together, and I love it.” 

The dynamic between actor and director is the same as any other show would be, Abby Grech ‘25 said. Although the practice times and group size is different than larger scaled productions, the same respect is being shown throughout the production. 

“During the musical, there’s so many people that it’s really hard to make those connections,” Grech said. “But when you’re in that smaller group setting, you’re able to connect with everybody, which is really nice.” 

The next theater board meeting takes place April 4 from 3:20-4:30 p.m. in the NC Reber Center.