The Hudson High School Drama Club is one of the largest clubs, with over 100 students contributing to its Fall Play and Spring Musical. This school year, they put on productions of Hamlet and Into the Woods, which were enjoyed by cast, crew and audience members alike.

“Drama Club is definitely an adventure,” Junior Cast Member Lillian Hockstra shared for The Explorer. “It’s a wonderful environment, but one where you definitely have to work a lot. But all the work typically ends with a great product.”

“It’s really awesome,” Sophomore Crew Member Bingling (Paul) Song commented. “I get to collaborate with my friends, and we can build a lot of amazing things together.”

Positive responses like these are due to the support of all members, including the Drama Club Director. Bob Russell, the director for the past seven years, has been instrumental to the Drama Club’s success.

“We like to say that Drama Club is more than just putting on individual productions and learning how to act and do different technical and design things. Theater at its core is about humanity, learning to emphasize with other individuals and discovering your own self, which many of our members would say they’ve experienced during their time with us,” said Russell.

The Drama Club has risen in popularity throughout the past few years ever since Russell has led the group. “When I came in 2017, we had maybe 30 or 40 people involved in the organization. And now we’re well over 130 within the organization. I know we’re pretty big right now, which I think has a lot to do with trying to make it open for all individuals to become involved. We do our best to work around the hectic schedules of people in athletics and clubs and we always try to make it work for everyone.”

Despite becoming more prominent in the world of HHS activities, some members feel as though the group is still overshadowed by some of the school’s other events.

“Even though I think of Drama Club as one of the “Big Three” clubs at Hudson alongside Hudson Community First and National Honor Society, many of us have said that the school doesn’t focus enough on this art,” shared Song. “Hudson has a lot of funding but it seems to be spending more on things for athletics. Maybe we can use that money to renovate the stage that we do theater in for Drama Club and all the other groups that use it like for choir and orchestra performances. In sports they get a positive net difference from their matches but in Drama Club we only make back what we’ve spent.” 

“When I interviewed for the job a long time ago, I told the principal I really wanted the drama programming to be one of the crown jewels of Hudson, not just for academic programming but also a social and artistic activity many students want to get involved in. I think we’re really close to getting there and will always have work to do, but the community is just beginning to recognize us the way we want to,” commented Russell. 

Each spring, the Drama Club participates in the Dazzle Awards, a competition among Northeast Ohio high school theater programs. Hudson had an especially prosperous outcome this year, with seven nominations and four wins. They were awarded Best Student Orchestra for the third consecutive year, Best Scenic Design, Best Musical (Tier 2) and Best Actress with Senior Lindsey Ross.

Due to her Dazzle win, Ross will move on to the Jimmy Awards in New York City over the summer and will compete against other Best Actress winners from competitions similar to the Dazzle Awards across the country.

Other cast and crew members have also benefited from this experience. 

“I remember going to The Dazzles my first year and performing a number from Chicago,” recalled Hockstra. “When we posed and finished the number, I heard tons of cheering and claping and it was just insane, I’d never heard a crowd like that before. That’s a memory I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

With a large number of seniors graduating from Drama Club this year, the productions will be missing many familiar voices next school year. Next year, Lillian Hockstra will serve as the Club President alongside five other officers. They will be producing Treasure Island next fall and a musical in the spring.