The beginning of a new school year brings the startup of new events and opportunities for the choir and drama departments. Even at the start of the school year, both are diligently working on developing new opportunities for students as well as preparing for performances.

Already in the first quarter, the drama department has been hard at work with “One Acts.” The competition based performances took place on Aug. 23 and were directed by seniors Lani Decker, Katelyn Schultz, and Nathan Nelson. This year, the drama department decided to open up auditions to anybody who wanted to perform rather than only allowing students in drama classes to audition.

Drama teacher Shawna Marquis mentioned that the improv team, formerly known as the Purple Ninjas, will now be known as the Perry Winkles. The team will meet every Tuesday after school for rehearsals geared towards getting ready for their first performance in Dec.

In conjunction, drama has been rigorously preparing for The Crucible which debuts Nov.1-3. Rehearsals run everyday after school until the premiere of the show.

Aside from performances and shows, drama is participating in many events such as the Shakespeare Competition in Utah taking place Oct. 4-6 which will feature 35-40 drama students. Another notable competition the students will be attending is the Arizona State Thespian Festival at the Phoenix Convention Center. This two day competition features drama teams from Arizona schools that go through workshops as well as compete with monologues and one acts.

Furthermore, choir has been making a lot of progress as well in the last quarter. “This is the first year that Perry’s chamber choir, Douze Voix, has been a class… It’s really exciting.” Choir instructor Joe Little explained about one of the progressions of choir this year. In previous years, the group would have to meet after school everyday in order to practice for their performances. Having the class this year has made it easier for students to be involved in the chamber choir by eliminating the after school commitment and stress that it had imposed on students before.

Through the duration of the school year, Little plans on taking his choirs to competitions such as the Heritage Festival, the NAU Jazz Festival, and the Disneyland competition in May. Aside from the competitions, the choir also hopes to visit several hospitals and retirement homes.