Feature Friday: Sam Werner

“I liked being onstage but was interested more in what happened behind the scenes,” said Sam Werner. “I pay more attention to how they did something, than when they actually do something.”

Werner is a part of the theater program at HHS and has been a part of it since sophomore year. 

“My friends said I should just come in and try it, and I loved it,” Werner said. “So I quit the swim team, and have been a part of it ever since.”

He decided to join tech during his sophomore year, during the Winter One Acts.

“I always appreciated the determination of techies and their ability to really bring a show to life. So I knew I wanted to be part of it,” Werner said. 

Although he did tech all throughout his time at HHS, Werner  wasn’t given as close to the credit that he deserved until this year’s musical, The Addams Family.

“It was such a special moment for me to be recognized as a scenic designer since that’s been my dream ever since I knew it existed,” Werner said. “I had to be a leader for all these other kids and help figure out how to take the director’s ideas and bring them to life.” 

Because of that moment, Werner realized this was his calling and has decided to pursue it after he graduates HHS this spring.

“Unless some other college comes up with a full ride offer and amazing scholarship to go there, I will be attending Carthage College in Wisconsin,” Werner said.

He will be studying set design and architecture to be a professional set designer some day. 

“If me and my friends could do it, we have thought about starting our own theater company. But if not, I would try and work in a high school theater program like our tech director, Cory, does here,” Werner said.

Werner encourages people to try theater even if they are a little curious, whether that be onstage or behind the scenes.

“Just try stuff out. You are going to have set pieces that won’t work or the director won’t like,” Werner said. “Don’t be discouraged by small failures, instead you should learn from those failures and then you will succeed.”