Students, residents discover common love of theater

By Sara Martin
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Eagle’s Trace Director of Dining Services John Googer cooked up the idea of a theatrical collaboration between the student waitstaff and the residents they serve, he wasn’t sure if it would pan out. After all, how many high school and college students would want to give up weekend time to work on a play?

Turns out, ten students came to the fi rst rehearsal in early January. Googer enlisted the help of residents Lee Hickle and Keith McCoy, members of the Th e Players Drama Group at Eagle’s Trace, to direct the production.

The first order of business was to select a script. Wanting to give students the chance to showcase their individual talents, Hickle and McCoy opted for a play with plenty of dialogue. They chose 15 Reasons Not To Be in a Play by Alan Haehnel.

Hickle (who taught at the Alley Theater in Houston) and McCoy were impressed by the students’ dedication to the project.

“They had to juggle school, work, and rehearsals,” says Hickle. “And as we came closer to the performance, they really poured themselves into the project.”

On March 2, the play opened to a full house. Eagle’s Trace residents, along with the actors’ friends and family members, claimed their seats an hour and a half before the show started—it was standing room-only 15 minutes before the students took the stage.

Residents credited the huge turnout to the relationship they share with the students. “They greet us by name when we come in to the dining room and treat us like family,” says Frankie Hope, who lives at Eagle’s Trace. “They love us as much as we love them.” After their remarkable debut performance, the students were surrounded by audience members congratulating them.

“These students go out of their way to help us, and they know how much we care about them in return,” says Hickle. “I’ve enjoyed working with them. It was fun to watch them perform when the lights came on.”