King welcomed back former drama instructor Centra Smith for one last play. She has written and directed the “Take the Lead” Drama Club for five years now. As she is no longer working at King, she has decided to come back to enjoy her last and final play with the other members of the team.
“King is home,” Smith said. “King is the beginning of ‘Take the Lead’ Drama Club. It was this population of students that caused me to be inspired to create an after-school program to benefit them.
“My first year at King, I can recall vividly youth singing, dancing and even rapping in the hallways. I wondered if they had any spaces of creative outlets for those gifts to be used. I also wondered if they had a theater program.”
Students are excited to have Smith back to have the last play experience with her. Senior Jeremiah Shabazz has been in the club for two years.
“Of course, I will always be excited to see Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith was not only a great teacher, but she was also a great role model and someone to look up to,” Shabazz said.
Music and audio coordinator Daniel Wolford has been involved in the play since it started. He enjoys it because of how different and unique it is.
“I love it. It’s so different from the classroom,” Wolford said. “I think the beauty of ‘Take the Lead’ is that it’s student-led, so I get to take a step back. It’s no longer this teacher-student dynamic, but we’re all together pushing through this goal.”
Smith was inspired to write the play after hearing the students tell their personal stories. This platform gives Crusaders a voice.
“Hearing their stories, problems, or issues in the hallways or them confiding to me privately about their struggles has also inspired me to tell their stories whether it was through acting, singing, dancing, poetry, or rapping,” Smith said. “I wanted their voices to be heard and felt and make an impact whether it was in front of the scenes or behind.”