Kara Hanes

Audrey VanSkiver is starring in “The Crucible” this year at FHC and could not be enjoying it more.

The lights in the FHC auditorium dim and the audience’s pre-show small talk immediately quiets. As the spotlight illuminates the stage, FHC’s production of The Crucible begins. 

Now senior Audrey VanSkiver was in elementary school, and watching this very play, in which her older sister starred as Abigail. At this show, she fell in love with theater and was hopeful she could also be on the stage one day. Now, seven years later, she is playing the very same role, and couldn’t be happier.

“FHC did [this play] six or seven years ago, and my sister was Abigail Williams,” Audrey said. “That is just so cool to me…and it’s so cool to not only do this show in the same space but to be that character. That is something so, so special.”

Her older sister, Meredith, now 23, introduced Audrey to the musical theater world. Hamilton, in particular, was something that Audrey and her sister bonded over, listening to the soundtrack until she memorized the entirety of the rap in “Guns and Ships.” 

Her current passion, The Crucible, is full of drama, high-tension moments, suspense, and unexpected plot twists, and she highly recommends coming to the show. She also has some hot takes on the story; despite the popular narrative, Audrey believes that Abigail Williams is not actually the villain, but instead is another central character. 

“My character, Abigail, has an affair with John Proctor,” Audrey said. “She’s 17 and [he] is like 40—and they call me the villain…[Basically] the whole reason [for] the Salem witch trials is on this girl, but I blame John Proctor, too.”

The joy Audrey has found in theater did not come without its challenges. In the past, she’s had to sacrifice other opportunities in order to devote her full attention to her acting. One of these was the Girls’ Swim and Dive team. Audrey was a diver, but after taking on the role of Lily Belle in The Curious Savage, she decided her performance needed to be her top priority, and her coach supported her. 

“My first two years of [high] school, I was actually in the dive team, [but] I had to quit for theater because I got a big role in the play,” Audrey said. “I remember I told my dive coach and he was like, ‘Yeah, that’s fine, that’s great’…I wasn’t good at [diving anyway].”

This doesn’t mean the biannual theater performances are Audrey’s only extracurriculars; she’s been an active part of the Improv team since junior year, having auditioned at the tail end of her sophomore year. Because Improv is under the theater department, it largely doesn’t interfere with the fall play or spring musical. Morgan Beckett, Advanced Placement (AP) Seminar teacher, is the director and coordinator for the Improv team, and has taken on the additional responsibility of overseeing the fall play this year.

Audrey has experienced Beckett as a great presence in her performing arts journey. 

“Beckett for sure [has impacted me],” Audrey said. “She is just so sweet…I didn’t meet her, honestly, until last year, but she is just so [nice]. It’s her first play and she’s doing a great job.”

The theater department’s warm and welcoming community is the main reason Audrey has continued to perform in the fall play and spring musical; while she loves singing and acting, nothing can beat the bonds formed between the multiple actors and crew members that contribute to a production at FHC. 

Audrey also hopes to find meaning in her post-secondary education and career. Her current plan is to do something in the medical field. Through the Kent Career Technical Center (KCTC), she has begun to discern what exactly she wants her life to look like.

“I’m in the [Medical Assistant] program right now, so I will actually get my medical assistant certification, which [means] I can start [working] in hospitals,” Audrey said. “I would say I want to work maybe with kids with disabilities [at] Mary Free Bed, but I’m still very open…I feel like if I want to change, I can do so.”

In her pursuit of purpose, Audrey has discovered theater and that she wants to spend her life taking care of others who can’t take care of themselves. Whether it’s acting as a girl under accusation of being a witch or learning to be a nurse, Audrey has found her passion: spreading joy. Lastly, Audrey recommends that every FHC student participate in a theater production at least once in their life. 

“Here’s my pitch—I’ve given it to so many people [that] I’m basically like a salesperson at this point. I’ve gotten people to join Improv…the play [and] the musical,” Audrey said. “[If] you enjoy watching theater, why not do it. It’s not that time-consuming…especially if… you have a small part…I’ve met very few people that have not liked it [and] it’s such a fun time.”