Off to the Races

This year’s student-directed play, “Track and Field,” will be performed in the round on the Bardwell Auditorium stage Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public.

In “Track and Field,” it’s the last track meet of the year and as the athletes warm up for their events, they contemplate what lies ahead — for some it’s having enough extracurriculars or racking up followers on social media or getting up the courage to ask their crush to prom. But for others, more serious obstacles lie ahead, and they’re much harder to jump over than a bunch of aluminum hurdles — from worries about leaving high school, to family troubles, to vicious rumors, to long distance relationships. Through a series of interconnected scenes, “Track and Field” speaks to the fears and dreams of students leaving high school behind and making their way into the world, and reminds us all that sometimes the finish line is just the beginning.

Because of the challenge of performing theater in the round, which will be set up on the Bardwell stage, the production called for the leadership of five student directors: L. Zhao ’26, N. Cao ’27, I. Cedeno ’27, C. Zhu ’27 and M. Tauer ’28, with Zhu serving as artistic director. Cedeno created the curtain speech given before the show, though this year’s take will be given live and explains the “in the round” format and the importance of student directors.

Zhu said, "Traditionally, we have produced shows where actors perform on stage to an audience seated directly in front. This time, however, we are inviting the audience to join us on stage, with seating on the front and sides of the performing area. I've loved watching actors adapt to being much closer to the viewers and learning how to perform for multiple angles at once. "

"My favorite part of working on this production has to be the people in it," Cedeno said. "I know it's a cliche to say, but the cast and crew for 'Track and Field' has been so understanding and flexible, for everything from schedule changes to last minute blocking tweaks. They've all worked so hard and fast to bring a show together, sacrificing their free time to get everything ready in time. This is by far the shortest amount of time we've had to put a show together and it was in a new style that none of us have done before. I'm so incredibly proud of how far we've come."

Director of Theatre Daniel Morris said, “Creating a show in the round has been a rewarding challenge for everyone involved. With the audience just feet from the action, their perspective is always front of mind. This experience is preparing our students to work confidently in a wide range of performance spaces.”

Please note that Bardwell Auditorium is not wheelchair accessible.