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KATHLEEN CZEL ‘08
n Immaculate show is a massive feat of personal and group effort. It’s hard to fathom the organization and management required to bring the project to opening night. As producer of both the Fall Drama and the Spring Musical, Kathleen Czel ‘08 is a key player in making it all happen. “My job is supporting the production and making sure everything happens,” said Ms. Czel. “Everything” includes administrative tasks, fiscal management, communication, fundraising, procurement, marketing, security, providing direction and encouragement to students, and pitching in on the crew. It all begins with a meeting with the director - Alexa Wild for the drama or Matt Farina for the musical - to come up with a working outline of what is required to achieve their vision. “Kathleen is a phenomenal producer,” said Alexa Wild, IHS English teacher. “She has an innate sense of not only what needs to be done and when, but also how to get everything done in an efficient and timely manner.”
Though very shy when she entered IHS, Ms. Czel auditioned for the musical after Mary Raymond, then director, encouraged her. Despite not being cast, she worked on the crew and found that she had become part of something wonderful. “When you work on a show, a family is created. You spend months working so hard together. I found a supportive community where there truly are no small roles,” remembers Ms. Czel. Growing as a performer, she played Fantine
in Les Miserables and Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in her senior year. While studying for her BS in Secondary Education/English, she returned to help on every show in whatever capacity was needed - lights, sound, photography, costumes, runner, assistant director. An opening in the IHS English Department was a dream opportunity which became reality when she was hired. As a faculty member she continued her involvement in the shows, eventually becoming producer for both the musical and the drama.
Ms. Czel helps foster the type of community that she found so affirming as a student herself. She acts as a mentor for many, helping them set realistic goals and supporting them through the hard work it takes to achieve those goals. “She has a compassionate connection with her students that is fair-minded, honest, kind and fun! Students experience her dedication
Kathleen in her high school productions, left: The Sound of Music, above: Les Miserables, right: Beauty and the Beast
“When you work on a show, a family is created. You spend months working so hard together. I found a supportive community where there truly are no small roles,” to community through collaborating with her in a nonacademic setting,” notes Matt Farina. Mrs. Wild added “Not everyone wants or needs the spotlight, and Kathleen has
