february 2026

SIERRA’S SENTIMENTS

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support our production of The Wolves last month. The show was a touching glimpse into the lives of the teen girls, and we are so proud of the cast and crew who worked so hard and shared so much of their hearts with us. Getting to hear from the cast that they felt so represented by this show meant the world to us, and we hope to keep finding opportunities for our students to feel empowered by their work. This show would not have been possible without the work from our fantastic cast and incredible crew and creative team (Maggie Shircliff as their director, Jack Lockrem as stage manager, Ellie Hartman producing, and Leo Mossoff as lighting designer), and of course the audience members who trust us to handle this kind of content with care, respect, and safety.

Last week marked our first official Hadestown rehearsal! I am stoked to be directing this one and honored to be working with such an amazingly talented and passionate cast, along with Brigid Smullen (making her STARS Music Directing Debut!) and Ella Newman (Singin’ in the Rain Jr. Choreographer) on our creative team, and STARS regular designers Lori Crockett on costumes and William Waugh on lights. No spoilers yet, but this production of Hadestown will be unlike any you’ve ever seen! There are only 80 seats available per show, so make sure to grab your tickets before it’s too late!

Finally, my pitch for the high school juniors out there! It’s about time to start thinking about your college audition season. I’m so excited to be launching college audition coaching for the upcoming audition season. I’d love to help you with college lists, rep, pre-screens, audition scheduling, and even your essays. Please reach out if you have any questions, I would love to help you on your college audition journey!

Thanks for your continued support! We hope to see you at Hadestown!

curtain call

Congratulations to the cast and Crew of the wolves!

We are so proud of all of the hard work that the cast of The Wolves put into making the show a huge success! Congratulations!

drama camp

We are so excited for Summer Camp 2026 and hope to see you there! Registration is open now!

Session 1: 9 to 5 Jr.

July 6-17th

Session 2: Something Rotten! Jr.

July 20th-31st

senior spotlight

This month’s Senior Spotlight features Ellie Hartman!

Ellie joined the STARS team this fall as our first producing intern! As part of this position, Ellie served as co-producer for The Wolves and is back again co-producing Hadestown.

What are your plans for the future?

“I’m currently a senior at Alexandria City High School and planning to go to a 4 year university majoring in Musical Theater and Leadership/Management. I am actively vice president of my school’s award winning choirs as well as an active part of leadership within our theater department. Later on in life I hope to be performing at any level of theater as well as teaching or managing my own company/studio.”

you are a STARS intern! What is something that you have learned from this experience? What is a memory that stands out to you?

“One of the greatest things i’ve learned from working with Sierra is how to be on top of a production by being very well organized as well as handling problems with an open mind leading to the best possible solution. My favorite memory since joining stars is getting to help with the set and costuming during our production of The Wolves in January. Getting to work so closely with everyone involved and growing a show is something I will cherish forever.”

What advice would you give to someone auditioning for a STARS show?

I would tell them to join in any way possible. No matter what role you play in any production, the community of STARS is unlike any other. I’ve never felt so much pure excitement and encouragement working on a show. Everyone is always opening up to share their most vulnerable sides inside and outside the script. STARS is the place that will foster that kind of feeling for you.