Theater will perform its student-directed play in the black box May 6. The show will have two casts, the “Bread Cast” and the “Cake Cast,” resulting in two shows, one at 7 p.m. and one at 8 p.m.

“[Theater director Chelsey Thornburg] let me take the wheel,” student director Grant Koch said. “If I ask for help or if I’m unsure about something, she’ll step in. But for the most part, she lets me drive the ship.”

The show has two casts, one performing at 7 p.m. and one at 8 p.m. The show currently runs at 50 minutes — it is a one-act version of the play -– which allows for the show’s two start times to be an hour apart. 

“Every [cast] has a different interpretation,” sophomore Willa Mae Crane said. “I will watch how [my double] acts, and I’ll [say to her], ‘Hey that’s a really good idea; I’m going to steal that from you.’”

“Earnest” is the second student-directed play theater has put on; the program performed “Steel Magnolias,” directed by now-alumna Sophia Wheeler last school year. Koch was the student director of the all school musical this year, “The Addams Family.” “Earnest” is a smaller production than the musical in cast, crew and technical aspects.

“With this show, because it’s a lower-scale production set up [than the musical, it] is more compact,” Koch said. “More [responsibility] falls on me than before, but it hasn’t been an issue. I’ve been able to get through [it,] even though sometimes it’s a little more than I’m used to.”