Jackson High School seniors Kaylee Colwell and Max Hamlin will make their directorial debut this week with the opening of “The Bookstore.”
The one-act play will be presented May 2-3 at the Butts County Performing Arts Center at 7 pm Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for nonstudents.
The show follows Rachel who recently inherited a bookstore from her uncle. Struggling in a low-paying job, Rachel doesn’t have the time or patience to run a bookstore and is tempted to sell when a real estate magnate presents a tempting offer.
“We wanted to write our own play, but I read this one in class and I sent it to (Kaylee) and she liked it,” Hamlin said of the show selection. “I’m a book nerd and she is too, so it’s very fitting for us.”
JHS Theater Director Jason Lehman says the local high school has presented senior-directed shows since the 2015-2016 school year. Lehman typically selects two plays for seniors to direct and present each spring.
“Seniors who have come up through the program and want to direct can choose a play, come up with a plan for what they want to do and present it to me,” he said. “It’s a fun, but hard, opportunity for the students who then get to experience what it’s like on the other side when they are the ones to bring all the separate pieces trying to put together a show instead of focusing on their one job.”
Lehman said the most challenging part the student-directors usually find is working with their fellow student actors who don’t always take them seriously.
“I definitely feel like you have prepared us to be able to do this. He had us do some student-directed scenes and I found out I really enjoyed it. He’s definitely been a great mentor,” said Hamlin of Lehman’s tutelage. “We’ve done everything from casting to blocking to getting together a tech team.”
Colwell said the co-directors have been brainstorming about the project since December and began discussing the project last July. Following auditions, students began practicing in March.
Both Hamlin and Colwell are far from newcomers to the theater realm.
“My first show was in kindergarten and my first musical was in fifth grade,” said Colwell, who moved to Butts County seven years ago.
Hamlin started participating in theater productions at elementary school and has performed in 10 plays and musicals.
“I really enjoy being on the technical side as well as acting,” she said. “I like to see things be built and go smoothly.”
If given a choice, Colwell would choose acting over directing but she is enjoying the directing experience.
“I’m having a good time with it. I like helping my friends grow as actors,” she said. “This is something I’m really proud of, and I look forward to showing it off to all of my friends and family.”
Both students plan to keep theater a part of their lives in the future. Hamlin plans to pursue a career as a teacher and continue to act recreationally. Colwell also plans to become a teacher and will minor in theater at college to prepare her to help with student theater programs.
