Coppell High School senior drama club president Lauren Myers’ ardor for theater started when she moved from East Dallas and joined the program at Coppell Middle School West in eighth grade but has since propelled her into the world of technical theater and stage management. 

After serving as the CHS theater department secretary during her junior year, Myers took on the responsibility of drama club president – with CHS senior co-president Xander Davila – for her senior year in a pathway that she adores. With her zeal for theater, Myers plans on studying stage management or technical design in college and pursuing a career in it.

What are your plans as drama club president?

My goal is to make sure everybody feels welcome in the department. [Theater] is not a place for judgment, and everybody who is new or stuck around [should know] they don’t have to be afraid to be themselves. [If they have any concerns, they should] reach out to me and my co-president Xander or if they don’t feel welcome or safe in the department. We’ll change what needs to be changed to make [theater] a welcoming place for everybody.

Do you prefer acting or technical theater?

I’d definitely do technical theater over acting. Even though it can take up a lot of time, I like having my hand in everything, seeing the big picture, being part of the artistic choices for the show, [seeing] how it’s going to look on stage and working with all the different teams as a stage manager. 

What is your favorite part about technical theater?

[Technical theater] gives my life focus because [it’s] something I never really had. Before I really got into technical theater, I just kind of went through life and didn’t really know what I wanted to do. Technical theater just gives me motivation and purpose, motivat[ing] me to try to be better in all other areas of my life.

What is your least favorite part of technical theater?

The [worst part is] amount of time I have to spend working up at the school and going to rehearsals. Actors have to go to all the rehearsals, and I have to be there as well. I go early and I stay late, and I have to be at all the tech rehearsals, so it takes up a lot of my time and so it’s hard to get sleep, especially as the date of putting the show up comes closer. A lot of people would consider that a deal breaker because they wouldn’t have time for anything else, but since this is all I really love to do and all that I want to do, that doesn’t really bother me that much. 

Who inspires you?

Within theater, I definitely think I wouldn’t have grown as much or gotten to where I am without [CHS theater director Karen] Ruth and [CHS9 theater director Lauren] Holt just because, when I came in sophomore year, they boosted my confidence and everybody in the department’s confidence. They just made it such a welcoming place and inspired me to also make it a welcoming place and to also encourage others to do what they want to do. I help train other students and get them to where they need to be when I’m gone, so without them, I don’t think I would’ve been able to help other people grow as much as I have.

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