Projects help Souhegan seniors learn about theater

It’s getting close to April, and for students at Souhegan High School, that means getting into the thick of their senior project. Senior project is a yearlong excursion into a student’s interests, and right around this time each year, students are starting on the required applied piece of their project. Applied pieces can be virtually anything. They’ve ranged from building a car engine to writing a book to painting a picture. Some students, however, simply because of the nature of their project, have already completed or are completing their applied piece, including students with projects involving theater arts. Some would say the senior project and theater arts go hand in hand. Indeed, one of the purposes of senior project is to follow your passion, and for those interested in theater, the project can be a great excuse to delve into their favorite subject. “Since the school opened, there’s been a lot of kids that’ve done a lot of different things, writing one-act plays, set design, lighting design, stage management, you name it,” theater director Steve Hodgman said. This year in particular, there are several students getting involved in the theater arts, including Haley Brannely, whose project featured directing the musical “Sweeney Todd” at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts in Milford earlier this year. Brannely’s interest in theater extends from her ability to express herself. “I was never very good at painting or sculpting or anything like that,” she said, “but theater gives everyone a chance to express themselves in an individual way.” Brannely also is directing “Clue: The Musical” at the Amato Center at 7:30 p.m. April 19-22, plus a Sunday matinee at 2 that will include “216 possible endings that the audience picks each night,” she said. While Brannely’s project focused on the directing aspects of theater, Isaiah Silvia-Chandley’s project is a bit broader, adding choreography and writing. Earlier this year, Silvia-Chandley wrote, choreographed and directed his dance show “Beyond the Sea,” also at the Amato Center.