the history of beRKLEY dRAMA in pictures!
The Drama Club known as BE DRAMA has been in existence since the fall of 2012 when John Hopkins was hired to direct one show for Berkley High School. The match of the Berkley students and Mr. Hopkins worked so well that the district decided to hire Mr. Hopkins on permanently. There were drama offerings at BHS, however, LONG before BE DRAMA came to be. BE DRAMA likes to think that we are continuing the legacy of those who were seen making magic on and behind our stage long before us.
Why “BE Drama: Onstage?”
The beginning of the BHS Drama Club as it is now, was plagued with a great deal of drama of the non-artistic kind. There were a few years with different directors, older students who were hungry for validation and a large group of younger performers just looking for opportunities. With the first meetings of the drama club in 2012 and their board; Seniors Izzy Wroblewski, Aaron Cohen, Tim Dalian, Claire Hayostek, Taylor Tucker, Emma Doppel, Schuyler Fuoy, Jake Vincent and Maddy Bowen, a new climate was born. The reflection cast by the spotlight in our logo reads “onstage.” Our first board decided that it was important to project the expectation that any offstage drama would not be welcome on the BHS stage. The highlighted “BE” in our logo is because of direction they were given telling them to stop trying to act and start trying to be. Don't act. Be.
Since those humble beginnings, the drama department has grown to serving the high school as well as both middle schools. We've produced over 12 full-scale musicals such as “Guys and Dolls,” “Footloose,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Disaster,” “Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella,” “The SpongeBob Musical," “Legally Blonde” and even “Mamma Mia” in the school's student parking lot during the pandemic that threatened to shut us down at every turn. We've covered heavy dramas and delightful comedies alike including “David & Lisa," “Midsummer/Jersey," “Noises Off!," “Hollywood Arms,” our online (take that COVID) play, “She Kills Monsters”, the grippingly emotional “The Laramie Project," and classic comedy of “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.” We've tackled a handful of Jr. Shows with our middle school students, like “Elf Jr.,” “Music Man, Jr.,” “Into the Woods, Jr.,” “High School Musical, Jr.” and “Seussical:The Musical, Jr.” that played to packed houses in January, 2024. When you add in our countless summer drama camp showcases (two per summer), this year's shows and the celebration of our soon-to-be grads in our annual Senior Showcases, we've mounted over 50 productions and we're still going!