Winterfest 2025

Yvonne Chen '28 (News Associate) in News | February 14, 2025

Last Friday and Saturday night, student directors, actors, and stage crew brought to life a production that had been in the works at the Kirby Arts Center (KAC) for months. The short acts occurred at four different times over the two days, allowing students to see their classmates on stage. Winterfest ’25 marks the 23rd year of showcasing student-led productions in this performance.

According to Assistant Head of Winterfest and Director of “Mechanical” Suzie Nguyen ’26, the production was a rewarding learning experience filled with “a lot of unexpected challenges.” Nguyen explained that with the recent illnesses sweeping across campus, there were many “changes and substitutions within the past few days [before Winterfest].” Furthermore, she noted another obstacle was “transforming a vision to be something that could be interpreted on stage.” However, Winterfest also served as both an opportunity for her to express a variety of “artistic choices,” and to surround herself with supportive cast members.

Similarly, the director of Yellow Lights, Dorothy Lee ’26, shared how Winterfest helped her form “deeper connections” with her peers. Lee explained that her leadership experience taught her that “directing is all about trust and communication.” Yet, she also faced her own set of challenges; for instance, the many breaks during Winter made it difficult to schedule rehearsals as “a lot of people were off campus.” Lee encouraged students to join Winterfest, highlighting the lower time commitment compared to other productions such as the Fall Musical and Spring Play.

Additionally, actor Pacey Qi ’27 mentioned the “unique connection” with the directors as a special characteristic of a student-led play. Winterfest also served as an avenue for him to “meet and become friends with a lot of” people.

Audience members thoroughly enjoyed the show as well. “The actors seemed to have put in a lot of work,” expressed Ishika Mahadani ’28, “I really liked how every performance was different and every single one captured my attention really well.” Mahadani described the shows as “captivating,” “comedic,” and “dramatic”.

Katherine Saltarelli ’28 voiced a similar opinion: “I laughed a lot, and my entire family enjoyed it.” Similar to those involved with Winterfest, Mahadani and Saltarelli mentioned how the productionserved as a way to bond with the community more, from seeing friends on stage to appreciating the talent of other Lawrentians.

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Winterfest 2025