West Salem High Students Bring The Great Gatsby to Life

A murmur of confusion runs through the gathering of theater students — why is there a picture of cheese grater in this PowerPoint? 

“Alright, who’s the punster?” Hannah Costa-Baker, the West Salem High School (WSHS) costume director, asks with a smile. 

On stage in the West Salem High auditorium, a gaggle of Advanced Technical Theater students are gearing up for their biggest “straight play” yet: The Great Gatsby. They’re buzzing with excitement and nerves: in small groups, they’re presenting their ideas for the technical part of the show, which opens April 29. 

The punsters—two students presenting on the lighting design for “The Grate Gatsby” — smile and shrug, moving forward with their presentation.

The WSHS theater department is helmed by veteran theater director Tracy Sabine, who, on this particular day, holds court over the class while wearing a red-and-white t-shirt that reads, “I was Canadian before it was cool.” She’s the director, but today the students lead the conversation. 

“I get to be the quarterback and then the kids get to direct. They learn from each other,” she said before class began. “Everything that they do gets put in front of people.” 

During class, while the expected teenage giggling is present, the students clearly take their roles seriously. They are responsible for developing the designs for the set, lighting, costumes, and sound. Each group of students has been researching the show to create color palettes, a plan of action, and a wishlist of needed costumes, set pieces, and props.  

They have clearly put a lot of thought into their presentations, and how to visually illustrate a story that’s defined by contrasts — new money and old money, selfishness, and the desire for authentic relationships.

“I want the parties to be so full of life, but lifeless at the same time,” Brian, a junior in charge of sound design for the production, tells the class. “There’s no love there.” 

He goes on to explain how the music will contrast to the more personal scenes between the titular Jay Gatsy and his love interest, Daisy, which require a softer, more loving sound. 

Annabella is a senior in charge of the costume design group. She presents how she wants Gatsby’s character to dress extravagantly.

“I don’t think he knows how to dress down,” she tells the class. “He really showcases his wealth because it’s new to him.”

These presentations are just the beginning of two months of intense preparation. Being a “theater kid” is a big commitment — for technical theater, around a third of the work for a production is done in class, and the rest happens after school and on weekends. 

This is the value of electives like theater, according to Sabine. Students get to channel their energy into creativity and learn how to see a project through from the initial idea phase to completion. 

“West has so much to offer students,” she said, listing an array of elective classes, from theater to digital photography to career education programs. 

Sabine said there’s some concern about decreased enrollment in electives — with a number of new required classes added to the curriculum in recent years, it can be difficult for students to fit electives like theater into their class schedule. 

That’s part of the reason she’s brought up a few underclassmen into the Advanced Technical Theater class — to make sure there’s a new generation of students able to replace the graduating seniors. The show must go on. 

Performances of The Great Gatsby will run April 29-May 2 at the West Salem High School Auditorium. Tickets go on sale later this month. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit westsalemdrama.com.