PROFILES
by MEGUMI KITAMOTO
kitamoto.megumi@wsspaper.com The lights dim in the West High auditorium. A spotlight hits the stage. They may seem like insignificant actions to the audience, but that is Daniel Dagle ’15’s job. Dagle, who is working with the crew on his ninth and final Theatre West production, serves as the lights crew chief. “[Through theatre], I’ve made a lot more friends. Doing lights has given me good leadership skills, and it’s a lot of fun to work on the catwalks,” Dagle said. However, Theatre West did not provide him with his first theatrical experience. He acted when he
was younger, but he “would actually prefer tech because people who work on tech are pretty similar, and I think I fit in well,” Dagle said. Dagle went backstage for the first time in 2008 for a community theatre production of Grease. “I did lights for the first time because they needed help with the spotlights,” Dagle said. However, he was not the first in his family to get involved with theatre. His sister Elizabeth Dagle ’11 was an active theatre member, and Dagle’s mother Becky is the costume crew chief for Theatre West. “We’ve always had a close relationship and theatre has given us a common thread, especially as he got older. I’ve volunteered for a
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DANIEL DAGLE ’15
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lot of activities he is involved with, [and] theatre is something we can do together,” Becky said. Dagle’s favorite Theatre West memory is not as the lights crew chief, but from Beauty and the Beast, his first show. After high school, Dagle intends to attend Iowa State University to study engineering. Although he would like to “enjoy theatre as a hobby through community theatre,” his passion for math and science has helped him in theatre as well. “Since [lights] has a spreadsheet to see where everything goes, it’s a lot easier to visualize where things will go,” Dagle said.
PHOTO by MADIE MILLER
SOFIA PEREZ ’17 by CHANEL VIDAL
vidal.chanel@wsspaper.com
invite you to callbacks,’” Perez said. Those who got called to callbacks were auditioning for some of the bigger roles. “I was like, ‘how cool would it be to be the magic mirror?’ I wasn’t thinking lead roles,” said Perez. A week later, Perez got the longawaited e-mail. “I was in the newspaper room and when I got the email and it was like ‘You’re Snow White’ and I was freaking out, it was so exciting and it was just awesome,” Perez said. Those few words were capable of making Perez happier than ever. Once the show was over, Perez was happy to see all of the smiles she put on the faces of those in the audience; especially little girls who adore princesses. “I liked seeing them smile, and knowing that I did that was a really great feeling,” said
Everyone has hidden talents. Some find out they’re able to bend their tongue in weird ways, or lick their elbow. Sofia Perez ’17’s hidden talent is a bit more exciting than that. Perez auditioned for Nolte’s production of Snow White and got the lead role. Perez’s newfound talent in acting and singing lead her to great things and exciting experiences. Perez’s lack of experience with singing and acting did not scare her away from auditioning for the musical. Perez was very excited to get involved with something she loves, but she was not expecting to get the lead role. “I was thinking, like, tree number seven, but then they emailed me and they were like ‘we would like to 14 PROFILES APRIL 2015 wsspaper.com
Perez. Music is innate in Perez, who can identify notes by ear. This talent was more than helpful through the whole process of the play. “I just kind of did the whole show by ear. They would plunk it out on the piano and I would listen to it and then put the pieces together and sing the song,” Perez said. Even Perez’s supportive friends thought she was a natural on stage. Leah Rhodes ’17 and Perez share a mutual interest in musical theatre. “I was really impressed with her performance. And it seemed like she had been [acting] for forever, but it was only her first [performance],” Rhodes said. Perez would like to continue acting as a hobby and work on her performing skills. Theatre will be a big part of Perez’s life.
PHOTOS by PAIGE BRAZINA DESIGN BY CLAIRE MURRAY