The play's the thing for St. Joe's theater group

ODGEN —Saint Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden produces two to three plays each year, but for the students in the drama department, the theater program is about more than a chance to appear on stage: There’s friendship, camaraderie and the chance to develop as actors and people.

"It’s kind of taught me to be myself," said Tim Schoof, a sophomore who last year appeared in the "The Drowsy Chaperone" and this year in "Guys and Dolls." "To act, you’ve got to know who you are so you can be other people, and conquering that and being able to address that helped me to know myself and be able to interact a little better, and be more relaxed and be more of the guy I wanted to be."

Schoof, who also plays lacrosse, said theater allows him to use skills that aren’t called for on the playing field. "I’ve got to say I almost enjoy this more just because it’s a different energy," he said. "When you play a sport, it just doesn’t add up to being on stage and performing and expressing yourself the way that theater requires you to do. It’s more of an art. It requires just a whole different skill set, and I love it."

For Sebastian Pomeroy, the theater allowed him to make friends when he transferred to St. Joseph two years ago. "I enjoy interacting with the other students in the program, and it’s a good release from the world," he said.

Now a senior, Pomeroy has acted and been a member of the technical crew. He also has entered competitions; as a member of the school’s ensemble he placed third in this year’s High School Shakespeare Competition at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He also, with partner Claire Bruce, took first place in their category in duo/trio dance.

For Pomeroy, competition is easier than performing in an entire play, he said, because the competition piece is smaller, so "you can have fun and relax."

Allie Bawdon has the opposite view. For her, competing is "a bit more stress because you know you’re being judged on a higher level. You’re pushing for more than to just make audience happy, and on stage there’s more energy."

A sophomore, Bawdon most recently was seen in "Guys and Dolls," and will play a fairy in the upcoming "A Midsummer’s Night Dream." She has found acceptance in the drama department, she said. "Nobody in there judges you, because everybody has flaws and everybody has success and you can show that through your work and it makes you a better person. I got in theater class and then I felt like I was part of St. Joe’s."

Claire Bruce, who was Pomeroy’s partner in the winning duo dance piece, said she finds competition both more stressful and more freeing at the same time. However, she prefers full shows, "because you can immerse yourself in the characters and it’s fun to please the audience."

Bruce, a senior, has appeared in performances each of the past four years; she also was the stage manager for the school’s production of "Lost in Yonkers."

"That was a learning experience," said Bruce, who hopes to minor in theater at college. "I had to be more of a leader."

Theater helps the students develop in many ways, including confidence and time management, said Joanna Wheelton, the school president. Some also receive drama scholarships to college, she said.

Although St. Joseph is a small school, it boasts a state-of-the-art theater, which was donated by Bob and Mary Evans; the building that houses the theater is called the Skaggs Fine Arts Building in honor of other donors to the school. "We’ve been able to put out wonderful, award-winning productions because of the facility that we have," Wheelton said. "And our teacher, Jennifer Hughes, is a brilliant director and actor herself and has been able to inspire these kids to create something wonderful."

Hughes also instills discipline, said Luke Stager, who taught at St. Joseph for two years before moving on to teach at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. While at St. Joseph, Stager appeared in a couple of productions, and "I learned this high level of discipline, that you didn’t do theater because you wanted to have fun, you came to theater to work hard, and if you worked hard, you would have fun. And you could see that discipline and hard work translate into other aspects of students’ lives."