Theater Club Does Not Need a Stage to Perform
Angel Alvarado | Feb. 24, 2026
The Theater Club at Warren Wilson College (WWC) is run by students for students. The club was made to preserve performance arts at WWC after the loss of the theater department. It is a space for students to learn and engage with theater by acting in or assisting with productions and learning about what happens behind the scenes of productions and events like costuming, set design, and tech.
After WWC’s Kittredge Theater started undergoing renovations and HVAC repairs, what used to be the Theater Crew became the Kittredge Art Center Crew. It shifted from managing and maintaining the theater building and its technical equipment to focusing on setting up and managing sound and lights for music and conference-like events. Within the crew, many students are a part of the Theater Club.
Members within the club expressed the ways the Theater Club has allowed them to feel more comfortable at WWC. Sam Head, co-leader of the Theater Club, shared how they originally worried about not finding a space to express themselves before joining.
“I was so worried when I came to the school that I was not going to really have a good outlet to keep expressing my love for musical theater, but it is still alive even in the smallest of places,” Head said.
Most recently, this past Valentine's Day, the Theater Club was able to put on a shadow-cast production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, whose set was designed by club member Grey Biaso. Biaso expressed how the construction in Kittredge Theater, which started in the spring semester of 2025, has affected the Theater Club.
“We didn’t have a proper stage, we didn’t have a scene shop, we didn’t have a costume shop, we didn’t have any resources, basically,” Biaso said. “Everyone that's in the Theater Club really pooled together all of their resources and efforts to make Rocky Horror happen.”
Lou Hittle, member of the Theater Club and director of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadowcast, shared their thoughts on the difficulties of running a production without the Kittredge Theater, and how they hope future club members will be able to enjoy the space when construction is done.
“I'll graduate before the theater is open again, but I hope that future iterations of the club will be able to use it,” Hittle said. “It's quite difficult to put on a show without a stage, scene shop, costume shop, prop shop or sound/lighting equipment. Because we didn't have a rehearsal space for Rocky Horror, we held most of our rehearsals in Boon 110, which is less than ideal for a production of that scale. We have a beautiful theater on this campus, and I hope it sees regular use very soon.”
The club has grand plans for the upcoming semester, like reintroducing past events, such as the 10 Minute Play Festival, which is described as an event where students can write and submit 10-minute plays for student actors and volunteers to act on stage for all to enjoy.
Additionally, there are new ideas for workshops. Head voiced her interest in potentially starting a monologue workshop, among other ideas that may help students learn and improve their skills.
“We also hope to put on more workshops, such as set design, costuming, etc. and also acting workshops as well,” Head said. “I'm hoping to eventually start a little monologue workshop where people can just read and work on monologues they're really passionate about and get good and respectful feedback from everybody.”
One of the newest ideas, which may be coming up in March, is a student drag show. It is being planned and led by Persephone Whalen and will be a way for students to express themselves theatrically and show their love for drag as the art form it is.
The Theater Club invites students not only to attend their workshops and performances but also join the club. The club is also open to those who are interested in areas like stage design and costuming. Keep an eye out for any events that the club may be working on in the future through their Instagram @wwc_theatre.