Students from Acting II and Advanced Performance hosted the annual Advanced Performance Studies Acting Showcase in Rugby Auditorium May 23. The event opened with performances from Acting II students who shared scenes, monologues and other work they developed this year. The Advanced Performance Studies class performed We’re Not Really Strangers, a devised theater piece that reflects on how identity changes across different stages of life.
Calla Fox ’25 said developing strong relationships with classmates outside of rehearsal helped build trust on stage.
“Getting to know them personally outside of acting has helped us grow such an incredible bond,” Fox said. “It’s really great creating that solid bond before you start acting, so then the chemistry’s there.”
Naiya Gardiner ’25 said the pieces in the showcase were inspired by real conversations and personal experiences.
“The Advanced Performance Studies Showcase was like an experimental piece that was all based on stories within our lives,” Gardiner said. “So it was mostly just based on conversations that my friends and I, in that class, had.”
Mellow Eaton ’25 said the small class size of four allowed for deeper emotional expression.
“The smaller the class is, the more connected we are,” Eaton said. “Especially when tapping into those deep personal issues and societal issues. It’s also helped me a lot when it comes to expressing my emotions.”
Gardiner said her pieces explored themes related to identity and personal struggles.
“One of mine was based on my relationship to my hair,” Gardiner said. “And then the other one was based around sleeping and having trouble sleeping because that’s always been a big thing for me.”
Jackson Hollis ’25 said one of his pieces addressed his experience dealing with identity and resilience.
“One of them was a monologue I wrote about talking to my grandma, who is homophobic and uses religion to try to guilt-trip me about being gay,” Hollis said. “The second piece was more performance-based and done in the Brecht style. It was about the idea of always performing and always having to keep going. It was sort of about being gay but also about Harvard-Westlake, where you’re always expected to just keep going and never stop.”
Eaton said the class grew closer through group routines and shared experiences.
“Our first big thing was going to New York earlier in the year, where we went to see a bunch of plays and did a bunch of workshops, which was super fun,” Eaton said. “And then there were also our morning check-ins, which we do every day. Everyone just trauma dumped and vented about anything.”
Fox said she challenged herself to write and perform more honestly than in her previous work.
“I felt that I was very vulnerable, and I think that’s what I did best,” Fox said. “Normally, whenever I write a monologue, I write about the same surface-level things. I’m proud of myself for going a little deeper.”
Hollis said working on the showcase helped the class reflect on the end of their senior year.
“I think it helped all of us come to terms with graduating,” Hollis said. “It really was a culmination of all the work we had done all year.”
