The drama department is being taken in new directions under the leadership of Lauren Ufkes, the new artistic director and graduate of EGRHS. Ufkes has a plethora of ideas to build the theater program at the high school, and she’s only just getting started as the fall season begins. 

Ufkes originally began doing theater through the same program she now directs. Inspired by her older sister, she got her start in performing arts during high school and eventually decided her senior year to pursue a professional career.

“My sister is eight years older than me, and she did theater in high school, and I always wanted to be like my big sister,” Ufkes explained. 

Not only did Ufkes take inspiration from her sister, but also from the director at the time, Pamela Steers, who is still involved in theater at the high school today.

“Watching [my sister] and watching Pam [Steers] direct her made me think, ‘I want to do that.’ I was a kid who needed to be on a stage, I needed to express myself,” Ufkes said. 

Once she found her love for theater, Ufkes went on to college and beyond, which eventually brought her a long way from Grand Rapids. 

“I went to Western Michigan University for their theater program that I auditioned for and was accepted into. After I graduated, I decided to do more schooling and that’s when I went to Texas. I auditioned for University of Houston’s professional acting training program, got in, and completed an accelerated masters program,” Ufkes said.

Despite staying in Texas for a while, Ufkes eventually came back to her hometown where she now teaches.

“I moved to Kilgore Texas where I worked for the Texas Shakespeare Festival up until 2022,” Ufkes said. 

For Ufkes, being in the director’s shoes vs. the student’s when she was in high school is a very full-circle experience, because she can imagine herself in the students’ shoes, helping her to be the best she can be.

“Being a director, there is so much responsibility but it’s great because I can put myself in the students’ shoes because I once was them and can understand their perspective, and that really helps me with my direction,” Ufkes expressed.

 To help the program thrive not only now but in the future, Ufkes has a goal for the students to operate as a company rather than just a group to help prepare them for after high school.

“I want these kids to experience what it’s like working in a professional setting so that they are prepared for the outside world. Having us all operate as a company, as a collective, where we’re all collaborating is what I envision,” Ufkes said. 

Ufkes’ goals tie into her teaching philosophy: imagination, agility, precision, passion, and speed, which she said helps to make up “a good actor, a good director, and a good company.” 

The first show this year for the drama department is Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which, according to Ufkes, is off to a great start. 

“We’ve been moving very quickly. If theater, which I think it is, is a living breathing thing, I like to think of the blocking as being the bones or structure and when we get past that, we get into the meat, blood, tissue, and organs, which is acting, and that’s what we’re getting into now,” Ufkes explained. 

Ufkes recognizes that the drama department has experienced many changes over the past few years, having had a new director every year.

“These kids have been through a lot with having to meet somebody new every year, and I can see where that would be challenging because drama is a place where you come to find comfort and security,” she said. 

While looking forward to all of the shows ahead, Ufkes is especially excited to connect with her students and build a strong bond as a company.  

“I’m really looking forward to connecting with the kids. I think establishing a strong relationship with them is what I’m most excited for,” she said.

Support Ufkes and the rest of the drama students by being on the lookout for performances in the upcoming months of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Nov 2-4 and the Variety Show Nov 16, as well as by following the drama department’s Instagram page @egrhsdrama