Patrick Forrester ‘27

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Every year, the Fall Play at Strake Jesuit is a highlight for those students who love for theatre. This year, Mr. Sullivan, the director of the Strake Jesuit Theatre Department, is excited to be putting on Jeffrey Strausser’s Somewhere Else Dreams, a comedy set in Jacksonville, Texas.

When asked about his reasoning for choosing this show, Mr. Sullivan noted its positivity, saying it is “fun, has lots of opportunities for actors, and has lots of humor.” 

For students who come through the program, the annual shows serve as a way for them to meet new people as well as to do something they love.

“It’s been fun,” said Brody Leffler ‘24. “It’s been a great way to get extracurriculars in and meet new people; I’ve been doing it since freshman year, and it’s been a great experience for me.”

On September 26, the actors were given a unique opportunity, as Mr. Sullivan invited Jeffrey Strausser, the author of “Somewhere Else Dreams,” to speak about the show. Mr. Strausser spoke about his experiences with meeting many unique people whom he based characters in his show upon, and about his journey from writing the show to finally seeing it published by Brooklyn Publishers.

In addition to giving students the opportunity to act in shows, Strake Jesuit also presents them with the chance to work on crew for the various shows, which gives them another way to become involved in the productions.

“I like doing crew because I’ve gotten to meet a bunch of new people and learn new things like how to run the light board,” Conrad Tamm ‘27 said. Stage crew offers students opportunities such as building and painting sets, operating lights or sound during the shows, and even helping to find costumes for the actors. 

To fill the acting roles, this year’s show features familiar faces such as Leffler and Blake Chandler ‘24, but it also includes new faces in the form of Connor Clinton ‘27, Lucas Garza ‘27, and Patrick Forrester ‘27.