“FEST really shouldn’t work… but it really does,” Stefanie Davis said. 

FEST, which stands for Falcon Expressions in Student Theatre, works every year because of the students who dedicate their time to it; it works because students give up a large amount of their time over the month of August to create something from scratch for audiences to see. Writers give up parts of their summer vacation to write something that might make an impact on the audience. Actors and Technicians give up entire days during August to rehearse and make FEST as great as they can. It should not work because it requires so much commitment, but it does because students and teachers care.

For those who do not know, FEST is an annual tradition at Perry Meridian High School, where students write their own original plays. These plays are then directed, starred in, and performed by students. This year’s lineup included “Resonance,” written by Alexandra Vance and directed by Abigail Witkemper, “The Space in Between,” written by Thatin Iang and directed by Savannah Xochitlatoa and “Read Between the Lines,” written by Abrielle Blackwell and directed by Evan Klipsch. FEST is composed of students from various backgrounds within the school, from those with theatrical experience to people who just wanted to try something new. This year’s FEST once again demonstrated what students can achieve when everyone commits to it.

The backbone of FEST every year is the two teacher producers: Jacquelyn Sheehan and Stefanie Davis. Everything from organizing dates to selecting stories and directors is done through these two. FEST does not happen every year if these two do not make the commitment they do to make it what it is. 

FEST, really, is a display of commitment. It is a combination of work from those who want to get involved in something new, meet new people, or even learn something about themselves. Students, thespian or not, work together on something that was only first thought of a few months before it is shown to a live audience, and they must be willing to put time and effort into something that should not be plausible for students to do alone, but it keeps coming back every year. 

It returns every year because people care about expressing themselves. 

It returns every year because students want to work hard on something they believe in.

It returns because FEST is special. It is not something that is done with little oversight and dedication. FEST is more than what it appears to be. 

The effort that goes into these plays just as school starts shows what students can do if they commit to working together. If they commit to working as a group with people from all sorts of backgrounds and areas in the school, then the results will show as they have years before, amazing plays will be enacted for the audiences to see. 

I hope everyone realizes there is something magical about FEST and what it represents, and that if you do not get involved with it directly or even see it, you are truly missing out.