BERKNER HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE

The Berkner Rams’ theatre program was founded in 1969. Carla Unkenholtz served as director for thirty years before retiring. After having an interim director for a year, Dr. Jill Hotz took over and has led the group ever since. “We put the Ram in dRAMa,” says Hotz. When asked what makes Berkner’s program unique, Hotz reflected that their fine arts department functions like a family in that choir, band, orchestra and theatre work collaboratively and well together.

Hotz’s greatest joy, she says, is “taking kids with zero confidence and getting them to do things that they have only imagined. We give them those opportunities.” Everyone involved in the program has a heart for the students— they want them to learn and stretch themselves in unexpected ways. States Hotz, “Berkner is a melting pot. We have everything from religious to economic to racial diversity. Hairspray was my first show to direct and that was an incredibly true representation of our school.”

According to Hotz, it’s easy to hook kids into theater and they are willing to sacrifice time and Saturdays to be a part of it. Another aspect of Berkner’s program is that their technical theatre side is strong as well. If a student starts out acting but discovers a preference for lighting or sound or any other technical aspect, change is easy and the student is given a new outlet to showcase that talent. Speaking of discovering talents, Berkner’s tech director, Ed Twiss, was initially a parent volunteer who discovered a love for the technical side of the shows. He is now building a topnotch tech theater program.

Hotz loves the fact that “theater kids are never boring and tend to overexaggerate. No one ever has a headache…it’s always a throbbing migraine. And there’s never a dull moment.” Hotz’s affection for her students is mirrored in her students’ admiration for her.

She shared that many of her students pay her the highest compliment by expressing a desire to be a teacher…specifically, a theater teacher just like her.

In addition to preparing for their fall show, Chemical Imbalance, the theatre will be gearing up for its annual haunted house, which is held at the school the weekend before Halloween. Students participate in the “haunting” and all monies raised at the event are used for costumes, props and anything else Hotz and her team need throughout the year. Their major fine arts production this school year will be Spamalot, performed the first weekend in February, followed by Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, a festival sith songs, turkey legs, a rummage sale and more!

For more information about the Rams’ theatre program, visit @berkner_theatre on Instagram