Throughout the years, Westminster has been known for their unique, award-winning theater program. The productions defy the expectations of high school theater, and audience members are consistently blown away by the spectacles put on each semester. However, it took a lot of change to get WCA theater to become the phenomenon it is today.
WCA theater began on a simple stage of the old campus. There were students in choir, dance, and drama classes, but there was not yet a school musical. Eventually, they realized that as a large school, it was important for Westminster to put on performances to showcase the talents of the classes. In 1984, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was the first ever Westminster production. With a cast of only six actors, it was an immediate success, and WCA theatre was born.
After You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Westminster staged at least one musical a year. Memorable productions include Godspell (1991), Fiddler on the Roof (1994), and My Fair Lady (1995). Many musicals, such as Hello, Dolly! and The Music Man, have even been performed multiple times throughout the course of the WCA theater program.
Before Westminster moved to the new campus, productions were put on in the gymnasium since the school did not have a real theater yet. Students would pile into the cafeteria next to the gym, using that as their “backstage” area. These small spaces brought the casts together, forming the tight-knit community that this program continues to provide. Creativity and flexibility were important during this time, and sometimes that even meant borrowing stages from other schools.
Allen Schwamb, who has been directing musicals at Westminster since 2004, recounts the different locations WCA used: “We would use De Smet’s theater, or MoBap’s theater. We would rehearse at Westminster, and then two weeks before the show we would load the set and everything into the theater. It was wild.”
Even though the stages were small and the rehearsal process was a bit chaotic, WCA’s theater was unique from the beginning. Each set and costume piece would either be thrifted or handmade, and some are even still used to this day! These pieces brought so much character to Westminster’s productions, setting them apart from other schools around them.
When the school moved to the new campus in 2011, Westminster finally built its own 600 seat theater. Since then, the room is full each quarter with audiences who are constantly touched by the art on that stage, and many shows have even won awards at the St. Louis High School Musical Theater Awards.
It is apparent that Westminster Theater is set apart from other local programs, but this is not only because of the shows they put on. If you ask any student that has gone through the theater program at WCA, they will tell you that the community found here is unmatched. Teachers and students care deeply about one another and the art they are producing. For them, it is more than just a performance.
Allen Schwamb states that “students are committed and they want to produce something that is artful and beautiful, that tells a story in a really neat way. We always try to reach something that has value.”
The students are not the only aspects of WCA theater that stand out. Over the years, Westminster has been blessed with many talented and wise teachers. They are passionate about helping their students grow to become not only better actors, but better people in general. Students are able to apply what they have learned, even long after they have graduated WCA.
“What was most memorable for me and still is to this day is the connections I made on and off that stage,” said 2014 grad, Andrea Reed. “Ways of thinking, acting techniques and general etiquette were all ingrained in me at WCA, and continue to actively enrich my professional theatre career today.”
From a small stage in a gymnasium, to a 600 seat auditorium, Westminster has grown immensely since it first began. But in the end, Westminster theater is not just about showstopping musicals – it is about the community that comes together to create them. This program has become a place for students to grow and create something lasting with value. They have turned Westminster theater into a tradition instead of simply a performance. And as each new show begins every year, the story of WCA theater is far from over.
