Since the school year began, the seniors of Drama IV and the eighth graders of Drama 8 have worked to craft original plays. While simultaneously contending with the pressures of college applications and the final year of middle school, each class has produced a diverse catalogue of works that reflect each playwright’s unique voice.
At the New Works Festival, on the evening of December 17th, they finally had the chance to perform their collection of 26 stories. “It’s really special for a playwright to get reactions, live reactions, for the first time,” says US drama teacher Alban Dennis.
And reactions these playwrights indeed evoked, as the audience smiled, gasped, laughed, and even cried their way through the brilliant bonanza of stories.
There were sweet vignettes of young love (Rollercoaster by Isla O. ’30) and tales of imminent doom (Universal Synchronicity by Chloe L. ’26). There were weighty and deep ethical ponderings (The Sleep Regulator by Mahima K. ’30) and moving and relatable coming-of-age stories (Jimmy John’s by Sid S. ’26). There was even a scene with sinister Girl Scouts on scooters (The Day Off by Ahan D. ’26).
While the plays varied in style, tone, and content, each story was a vulnerable and resonant exploration of the themes and issues close to the hearts of these writers.
“The main element to [my piece] is grief,” says Vera L. ’26, whose play The Magic of Life follows a teenage boy who has trouble accessing his magical powers after the death of his sister. “I wanted to show the story of a kid who has to confront grief that he shouldn’t at that age.”
This clarity of vision was evident in every piece, making the stories feel both poignant and strikingly relevant to students across different cohorts. “We talk a lot about trying to give students voice and agency…what better way to do that than to allow them to write their own stories about whatever they choose?” Alban says.
Yet he also emphasizes that the journey to clear and salient work has never been simple or straightforward. “I think for every playwright…there’s always an aspect of their play that they’re having a challenge with. For many, it’s like, ‘How do I finish this? I know how to start it but I don’t know how to end it.’ Or ‘I know how to begin it and end it, but I don’t know what happens in the middle.”
Working through these challenges has required the writers to “get rid of that internal editor,” in Alban’s words. “I think that was really successful this year, that they really just started to take chances with playwriting and take chances with a story.”
After all their hard work, New Works shifted out of the hands of individual playwrights and into the hands of the collective. They now had to perform one another’s creations.
With limited rehearsal time, the success of the show hinged on the actors’ willingness to make bold choices and lean into the characters written by their peers. The end product depended on the actors as much as the playwrights themselves. “As I’m writing, I have very specific ways that I’m envisioning these lines being read,” Vera says. Yet with peers’ acting choices added to the story, “it becomes different to how it is in my head…it was cool to see it come to life.” As Alban notes, “you get a chance to see classmates supporting each other.”
Along with building community within the classes, New Works helps to foster community between the classes. New Works serves as both a “rite of passage” for eighth grade drama students and an opportunity for the seniors to be “inspired by the eighth graders,” Alban says. It is a chance to weave “cross-divisional connections.”
New Works is a standout theatrical event. Its 26 plays are the culmination of nearly a semester’s worth of dreaming, developing, and crafting stories. It allows Lakesiders to showcase their voices and highlight themes that resonate with them. It’s a chance for students to help bring each other’s imaginings to life while strengthening connections between the eldest cohorts of each Lakeside campus. Through these inimitable stories and this unique community, magic emerges.