Rhea Johnston

From a young age, Rhea Johnston has always been drawn to perform on the stage. She was first introduced to theatre at the age of three and has been doing it ever since. Through her four years in Perry’s theatre program, she has gotten the opportunity to play a variety of roles from Alice Beineke in the “Addams Family” to Rona in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

Putnam really stood out as a memorable performance, “because we performed it so many times. We performed it and even took it to nationals,” Johnston said.

Addams Family also had a big impact on her high school career because the cast was able to showcase the show at the Arizona State Thespian Festival in 2014.

Perry theatre has been just one chapter of her life, as she will continue on attend Southern Oregon University in the fall to major in Theatre Performance and minor in Gender Studies.

Maya Whitaker

High school is a time for students to further their horizons, and for senior Maya Whitaker, technical theatre quickly became a significant part of her life. Whitaker has been in theatre for three year during her time at Perry. “You Can’t Take It With You” was her first show that she stage managed which became a popular and memorable show.

“[This is when] I learned that I want to do this when I was older,” Whitaker said.

“Mary Poppins” was also one of her favorites as it was her final and best show in high school. During her years in theatre, she learned how to cultivate and better her technical theatre skills while making strong friendships. As a result of her hard work and transformation, she will be attending the State University of New York Purchase campus to study Theatre Design and Technology with an emphasis on Stage Management.

Jackson Daniels

Beginning his freshman year, theatre quickly grew into one of his passions. Initially starting when he enrolled in stagecraft, Jackson Daniels soon became a friendly face in the hallway as he was actively involved in theatre and Student Government.

Among his favorites, he enjoyed playing Donald in “You Can’t Take It With You” and Policeman in “Mary Poppins.”

“My favorite memory has to be during ‘You Can’t Take It With You,’ I had to sprint across the stage but on one of the nights on my way across I got tripped up on a stair and I completely ate it,” Daniels said. He was able to recover and continue the rest of the scene in character.

Over his time in PHS theatre he has learned “that you’re going to encounter people you don’t like and you’re going to be faced with unruly situations, but it is our job as individuals to use those opportunities to the fullest and learn from them.”

In the fall, Daniels will be attending Northern Arizona University majoring in Secondary Education and minoring in French.