The SHS auditorium is very busy. Students sing to themselves while lugging painted beams across the stage, laughter rings out from behind a large rack of frilled, silky fabrics, and boxes of props litter the back room. Everyone is moving, smiles glowing on their faces; it’s a hive of activity. In the middle of it all stands Ty Lemerande, arms flung wide, shouting encouragement as he reviews the process. But who’s that?

Ty is the new drama director at SHS. He and his wife Amy, who is the assistant drama director, have blasted the drama department with a fresh new wave of enthusiasm and exuberance, infusing rehearsals with vibrant flair. They are easygoing and excited about what they do and the kids they’re working with, encouraging students to call them by their first names. Junior Aisling Sheahan spoke to their creative style. “They’re very dedicated and passionate about drama, they create a healthy atmosphere and they make drama very fun and productive,” Sheahan said.

The two new directors are anything but inexperienced. Amy has been acting and dancing her whole life. She worked at the Massachusetts  Hospital School in Canton teaching handicapped and mentally ill children theater, sharing with them her passion for the arts. Ty got involved in theater a little later. After he broke both ankles playing on his high school football team,  Ty decided to try a less strenuous activity. He went out for the school play and had a blast, becoming enthralled with the art. After high school he promptly joined the Navy and joined the drama troupe, where he was involved in almost every play. He then decided to major in acting at Penn State and received his masters in drama.  Ty and Amy met when they both joined a traveling Shakespearean acting company shortly after college. The two drama enthusiasts have been combining their love for acting, teaching, and each other ever since.

Outside their job at SHS, Ty and Amy continue to do what they love at Knighthorse Theater Company, their own Shakespearean nonprofit drama theater. Teaching students and spreading the joy of theater, they travel around the world performing all of the most beloved Shakespeare plays by themselves, adapting the roles and assuming the persona of each different character. Ty’s favorite to perform is his one man version of Hamlet. He loves the character, the story, and the vivacity of the play.

In coming to SHS, Ty and Amy brought along their joy of theater. They hope to teach students to really be passionate in every production and each theater experience.  “Tell stories, have fun and love what you do – the joy of theater comes from creating another persona and being able to make another person laugh and have fun along with you. We want to challenge the kids and have them get better by stretching their limitations, and teach them that all you really need for theater is passion and love,” Ty said.

Along with joy, passion, and experience, Ty and Amy hope to bring stability to SHS and be a part of SHS drama for the long haul. With three different directors in the past four years, the drama kids have experienced many different teaching styles and techniques, and now they hope that Ty and Amy are here to stay. Junior Maggie Harrigan could hardly express her excitement about the new direction. “They’re amazing, I love them so much. They’re so relaxed about everything we do, it just makes drama so much more enjoyable. I love going to drama everyday after school,” Harrigan said. And the drama department definitely has plenty in store. With a performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels coming soon, the students have been very busy. The momentum won’t stop; after that is the EMACT Drama Festival, in which students will perform a very special, tailor made adaptation of a Shakespeare play, and then student directed “one acts” in the spring, all alongside a multitude of different fundraisers and activities.

Ty and Amy hope to not only build a company, but a club of kids that love each other and what they do. “They are a team and [the auditorium] is their house, their safe place. I want them to just come here and hang out and enjoy the vibe”. It’s a place where they belong and are part of a team and where they should really feel their own self worth,” Ty said.

The vibe is certainly good. A blend of playful, hardworking, chill, and exuberant, the atmosphere of the drama department under Ty and Amy’s exciting leadership is very positive. Come be a part of it and feel the vibes at their performance of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on November 22nd and 23rd!