Published: November 2018 Issue of The Bradford, available online here.
Time and time again, the high school’s drama department has cultivated a reputation of putting on some of the best performances in the state. For sixteen years, Mr. Stephen Wrobleski led these productions. Wrobleski, however, left the high school at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Now, someone new has stepped up to take his place.
Ms. Kara Sullivan, previously a drama teacher at the middle school, is now the drama director at the high school and directed “Spamalot”, the high school’s fall musical.
Sullivan began teaching in 1999, but started working on student theater productions in 1997. Since then, she has directed at least two plays or musicals per year, run recreational programs across the state, and was the Theater Director at the Performing Arts Center in Framingham from 2008 to 2014.
Sullivan’s first student theater production at an overnight camp in 1997 sparked her interest in education.
“That was the defining moment for me. I wasn't sure if I should get my Masters Degree in Dance Therapy or Theater Education. When I saw the value of theater for kids, I was sure that I wanted to teach,” Sullivan said.
Although she enjoyed teaching at the middle school, Sullivan appreciates the dedication that she finds in the students at the high school.
“I have enjoyed how well the actors take direction. They are eager to learn and make this show the best that it can be. Many of the students are very invested in the program, and they want to work ... At the middle school, the students were so fun to work with, however many were just doing the show for fun and did not take the production as seriously,” Sullivan said.
Having this experience at the middle school allowed Sullivan to engage with different ages in theater productions, which she uses to her advantage as she approaches teaching at the high school.
“I think Ms. Sullivan brings her attitude towards middle schoolers into the high school, which I really like because it’s really fun to work with her. I think she’s making [her] transition from the middle school to the high school really elegantly and knowing when to bring out her middle school fun side,” said Sydney Braunstein ’20, who plays Lady of the Lake in “Spamalot”.
Since working at the high school, Sullivan has faced challenges with the long hours as well as the higher intensity.
“I feel as if the stakes are higher, and I have to really work on honing my directing skills to ensure that I am challenging each actor to their fullest,” Sullivan said.
While directing “Spamalot”, Sullivan emphasizes the ensemble and allows all students to play an active role in crafting the show.
“She’s been really good about having a lot of ensemble inclusiveness because in the past, working with other directors, the ensemble kind of feels left out, whereas in this case, with Ms. Sullivan, she’s working a lot with the ensemble, which makes it a lot more of a communal environment,” Braunstein said.
“She lets us give suggestions for different ideas when blocking which is really cool because we get to be more involved in the process,” said Tess Goldenthal ’20, who plays the Minstrel Leader in “Spamalot”.
In addition to “Spamalot”, Sullivan mentors the Acting IV class with their one-acts this December. In March, she will direct a festival piece for the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild, along with the spring play in May.
Looking towards the future, Sullivan does not want to make any major changes to the theater program at the high school, but she hopes to maybe have students compete in March again and to have acting classes work more closely with theater tech classes.
“In the sixteen years that Wrobleski has been here, the theater program at WHS has skyrocketed. It was always good, but it has only gotten better. I need to remind myself that there is room for me to grow in this program as well. We are different people, Wrobleski and I, however, providing a positive and educational program for kids is the number one goal and that is my main focus,” Sullivan said.