At Homestead High School, the theater program is more than just an extracurricular; it is at the heart of students’ senior year. Over the past three months, the cast and crew dedicated countless hours to preparing for the production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. For the senior cast members, this final curtain call has left a lasting impact on their identity.

Homestead Theater Department Director and Teacher, Amelia Figg-Franzoi, has witnessed the senior class grow up and become strong and confident young adults.

“The theater, fine arts kids, came in really strong as freshmen. They just kind of continued to grow and become leaders. And they outstrip any senior class I’ve had in a really long time. 
And then the non-fine arts kids, they just kind of grew, because I feel like they came in a little bit more of a hot mess. And now they’re actually put together humans as seniors” Figg said.

Figg continues to explain the relationships amongst the senior class members.

“From freshman year they were already close, and they became closer. They don’t fight with each other, well they don’t openly fight with each other. Especially in the theater department, there’s always some sort of drama going on backstage and the seniors have none of that. 
Like they are super tight-knit in that regard and it’s really cool,” Figg said.

Addison Drumm, senior, played both the Duty Sergeant and ensemble members, described her experiences in the play as unlike any other experience.

“I wish I took more time to appreciate the little things like the laughs with people or the little moments where it was really nice to hangout with people… It feels really special that Figg trusted us with this show because it was very different from everything we’ve ever done. I was definitely excited for the challenge and having so much freedom with it. It was really cool especially because we’re all very creative people,” Drumm said.

Drumm later recalls the importance of her class’s relationship with Mrs. Figg-Franzoi.

“I’ve grown really close with everyone.. even our director knows how close of a class we are. Today she sent all the seniors an email saying she had not cried about a graduating class in so long, and I was crying in my fourth hour when I read it,” Drumm said.

Aidan Bigonia, senior, played the lead Christopher Boone and discovered growth within himself throughout his performances during his time at Homestead.

“Aligning with Christopher’s last line, ‘Does that mean I can do anything?’ I think one thing I’ve learned from my first theatrical performance to my last is that I can. The ever-changing characters and set and costumes leads to a realization that we can create anything and make the audience feel any emotion we want. Through the education I’ve had through theater, I have learned to improve my acting abilities to make sure this is possible.

“I think it is one of the most perfect outgoing performances I could have had. The complexity of the story along with the sentimentality behind it led to amazing performances, which were able to connect to every single audience member. I remember hearing comments from people who work with people on the spectrum and believe we executed the ideas aligned with it perfectly. I also remember hearing comments from parents who could connect with the hardships of raising a child and dealing with the situations demonstrated in the story. Overall, this show was perfect because it not only allowed the seniors to cope with leaving, but it also connected the audience to the story more than I’ve ever seen before.

“Coming from a private school, I was scared to put myself out there because I was one of roughly ten people from my school joining a school with over 300 students per grade. Once I learned what the family of the theater program was, I regretted my reservations during my freshman year, for theater is a special place where everyone can be themselves and it is so accepting: we create memories, have fun, learn about each other, deal with hardships, and, overall, connect on a much deeper level than anything I’ve been a part of prior,” Bigonia said.

Senior Olivia Johnson has also grown close with her fellow castmates and discovered herself over the past four years in theater, especially while contributing to this spring play.

“I’ve learned that I actually have a lot of inner confidence and it’s been really cool to find my voice. I can be more confident, talk to more people, and be a leader, which freshman me was super scared to do. I would just flock in with the rest of the dancers. Whereas now I can help lead rehearsals and be more of a leader,” Johnson said.

Nadia Haswell, senior, played Judy Boone in the spring production, has a favorite memory from the play: “Our last rehearsal before spring break when we were all just laughing uncontrollably at everything from pigeon nests to witches, and it was when I realized how I will really miss these moments with this theatre department.

“I think all of the seniors have always been close since our very first shows together but I have definitely grown closer to the underclassmen as we all are required to work together when creating scenes or coming up with new ideas,” Haswell said.

Sayla Theirl, senior who played Siobhan in the spring play and has been involved in the theater department since freshman year, valued her class’s dynamics and inside jokes: “My class was already really close, but doing this show, we became best friends, and it was so so fun to be with them all the time. My favorite memory was the seniors getting matching fake tattoos of Figg’s face and wearing them in our rehearsal until she noticed.

“I would tell my freshman year self that she has a lot to learn from the older kids, so she should reach out to them even more. I would also tell her that she’s not ready for all of the lifelong friends she’s gonna make; they will change her life!” Theirl said.

Senior cast member Ella Endres has been involved in theater for two years and played Mrs. Shears.

“We got a lot closer to each other, just because of the size and having to spend so much time with each other, and this play specifically was very actor-oriented. We came up with our own choreography for the physical theater part of it. I think that connected us because we got to collaborate all together with it,” Endres said.

Felix Aiglon, yet another senior involved in the show, was a member of the costume crew for the production. Aiglon expressed that theater helped him expand his boundaries.

“My experience in theater has definitely taught me the importance of leaving my comfort zone and joining conversations. When I joined theater, I only knew two people involved, which encouraged me to be proactive and get to know people. Seven shows later, I’m a much more socially outgoing person!” Aiglon said.

Like the other seniors, Aiglon acknowledged the deep connections that the graduating class has with one another.

“I feel like the whole department has acknowledged that we have a pretty stacked senior class, so we knew that the last show would be emotional. Because of this, we really made the most of our time together. For me, just chatting with the cast and crew during rehearsal made me value the whole experience and how it introduced me to people I wouldn’t know otherwise,” Aiglon said.

As the graduating class of ‘26 prepares to leave this chapter of their lives behind, the countless friendships they have created, the lifelong memories they have made, and the personal growth they have each experienced will stay with them long after their time at Homestead draws to a close. The final curtain, for the class of ‘26, does not symbolize an end, but a beginning of the next chapter of their lives that will be forever shaped by the impact of their time in the theater department.