Guess adds that throughout the more stressful periods of preparing for shows, what helped was the people in Belfry who all united on that same feeling of stress during tech week.
“Going into tech week, everyone’s like, oh man, we got to communicate with our teachers, and we got to figure all this stuff out, because we’re all going a little bit crazy, but we’re all also really into what we’re doing,” Guess said. As graduation approaches, Belfry’s senior performers are preparing to step off the Germantown Academy stage and into college. For seniors like Lauren Sass ‘26, Kyle Guess ‘26 and Jayden Johnson ‘26, the curtain may be closing on their high school theater careers, but the lessons, memories and friendships forged in Belfry will stay with them long beyond these halls.
For these seniors, Belfry wasn’t just an extracurricular; it was a passion. For example, Sass remembers exactly what drew her into Belfry when she first arrived at GA.
“I had always really loved performing,” Sass said. “Coming to GA, I had heard so much about the Belfry program, and them being the oldest high school theater club in the country; it honestly really drew my attention.”
Once inside, what made Belfry unforgettable was the community.
“The community of Belfry has always been a very welcoming, inviting and very family-oriented community,” Guess said. “It gives us a common goal where we are all able to unite and pull each other up to make each other better.”
Johnson echoed that same attitude, from a different perspective, starting with a technical theater class, which eventually led to his passion for performing. What started as taking classes in technical theater and building sets eventually pulled him into performing, a journey he credits largely to the people around him.
“I thought it was really cool to be able to build things in school and have ideas come to life on stage,” Johnson said. “That introduced me to a lot of new people, and that ended up with me performing as well. Without how tight-knit everyone is and how friendly and welcoming everyone is, it wouldn’t be the level that it is today.”
Beyond the spotlight, Belfry has shaped who these seniors are as people.
“I’ve learned to be adaptable and flexible,” Sass said. “I’ve learned how to work with different types of performers. It has really helped me with public speaking, and it has given me a sense of confidence with all the performance opportunities I’ve had.”
Similarly Johnson reflects on how Belfry help him form his confidence.
“I think a large thing that Belfry has taught me has been just being confident and being 100% myself no matter what,” Johnson said. “Once you’re able to act on stage, it kind of helps you do better with being yourself in real life.”
M.r Jared Eberlein, head of Belfry, offers advice for the performance arts aspects of these seniors’ lives as they go off to college and beyond.
“I hope that they continue to work to find a center of some sort of creative being,” Mr Eberlein said, “That sort of means that they can be happy in finding work, happy in the work, happy in teaching others about the work that they do.”
As for what comes next, each senior carries Belfry with them in their own way. While some plan to participate in their college’s theatre and acting programs, others may be ending their journey in the performing arts world for good. No matter what path these seniors plan on pursuing in the future, Belfry was a big part of their high school careers.