While most theater companies are run by adults, the cast and staff of Upstage Theater, located in Mountain View, are entirely made up of teenagers. The teen-run theater company allows students to try their hand at roles usually filled by adults.
Upstage consists of students from various high schools across the Bay Area, such as Los Altos High School, Homestead High School, Summit Tahoma, and more. Typically performing musicals, the company’s purpose is to be open to all teenagers and give them a chance to get more involved in theater and the productions they participate in.
Cast member and co-social manager Niki Lakhani originally joined Upstage for its production of “Catch Me If You Can.”
“I wasn’t planning on auditioning for the show, but then I ended up doing it,” Niki said. “You feel very involved in everything and you have a say in how the shows go.”
“Upstage gives high schoolers a chance to step into these larger positions that they usually don’t have the opportunity to do,” Upstage technician Nathan Coleman said. “Positions like technical directors, directors — those are staff positions normally fulfilled by adults.”
“Because we’re student-run, a lot of the people we attract are truly passionate about theater,” Upstage artistic director Zoe Stern said. “It’s not because their parents are forcing them to; they truly want to do this from the bottom of their hearts.”
Upstage’s latest show is “Alice By Heart”, a spin-off musical of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” originally written by Jessie Nelson and Steven Sater. The story is set in a World War II shelter and follows Alice Spencer and Alfred Hallam as they journey through the “Alice in Wonderland” story together.
To prepare for this upcoming production, the cast had daily rehearsals, sometimes lasting over eight hours.
“It’s very stressful,” cast member Syd Mendelson said. “But at the same time, It’s really exciting. I love performing, and I’m even going into it for college.”
The all-student cast and staff, as well as their shared passion for Upstage, have allowed Syd to form friendships with his colleagues.
“At the end of the day all these people are your friends,” Syd said. “After finishing shows, we go out and party.”
“Everyone is really close,” Zoe said. “The rehearsals feel like hanging out with friends, but at the same time, we have an agenda and we get stuff done.”
Upstage first performed their production of “Alice By Heart”, co-directed by Bea Bell and Lucas Li, on Friday, October 25, and wrapped up the show on Sunday, October 27. More information about Upstage can be found on their Instagram account, @upstage.theater, or their website linked here.
