Billings Senior High students are preparing for their final musical of the year, "The Music Man," which takes the stage this weekend and marks the end of several high school drama careers.
Hear the students' thoughts here:
The bittersweet feelings of saying goodbye to an audience were on full display during a recent rehearsal as Izzy Schauer and her senior classmates faced their final show.
“So, it's going to be really sad…on closing night because…all the seniors get to sign the wall the night before the Saturday night show,” Schauer said.
Schauer and Kingstin Ragsdale have been in Bronc Drama together since they were freshmen, sharing the stage for more than four years. This makes the upcoming performance an even more significant milestone for both.
"It's sad and exciting," Ragsdale said.
Advisor Katie Rehberg says she is proud of her seniors this year as they prepare for their final curtain call.
"It's so hard to let them go," Rehberg said.
Rehberg said she loves seeing older students welcome new ones coming into the theater program with open arms.
"We have a really eclectic group, and it's very supportive of all of its members," Rehberg said.
Members like senior Miley Eide say theater opens doors for some students who are looking for a place to belong.
“You know, it's hard work, but it's a great community,” said Eide.
While this weekend's show promises to be a blast to attend, the hours that go into the production can be brutal and often come with little recognition. Each production requires about 320 hours just for rehearsals, according to Rehberg.
"I feel like I think sports are always more popular than drama," said freshman Rosie Byorth.
Rehberg said that while school administrators do everything they can to keep the club in existence at the school, she “would like to see it more recognized.”
The auditorium is nearly 89 years old, and Rehberg says she hopes shows like this bring awareness to the quality of the drama club at Senior High. To keep the theater lights on, the program relies heavily on community support through bake sales, raffles, sponsorships, dinner theater and the annual haunted house at Saturday Live.
"Everything that we do, we do out of the money that we raise," Rehberg said.
Beyond raising funds, the program is also raising a community of actors. It is a family these seniors are getting ready to leave behind with this last performance.
Schauer said that she considers the Bronc Drama Club her second family and will miss her fellow actors and crew after she graduates. She plans to continue participating in community theater and is exploring the idea of majoring in theater for higher education.
“It's a lot of fun, worth your time and effort because you get to put on such great performances every time and feel like it's like such a community effort, like, from people,” said Schauer.
For showtimes and more information on their musical, click here.
