By Milo Zinser-Trudel
On January 9, New Canaan High School’s 2026 Dramafest was hosted by the Town Players of New Canaan at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny Park. Dramafest, an annual event at NCHS, is a showcase of one-act plays written, directed and performed entirely by students. Dramafest was performed in the more intimate 115-seat space after many years in the NCHS Auditorium. Theatre Coordinator Chris Myers said, “The High School sometimes felt too large and drowned out smaller plays. We were all glad to have the opportunity to perform in the Powerhouse Theatre.” TPNC co-President Patricia Spugani added, “We were so proud to have the students at the Powerhouse. They brought incredible energy and creativity to the stage!”
The event included six plays by high school students, with every grade represented: Once Upon a Glitch by freshman Adrienne Wells, Disaster on the Highway by junior Anna Trofimova, Now That’s Peachy Keen! by sophomores Jack Ericson and Nora Nussbaum, Mother and Daughter by sophomore Gavin Stannard, F+O=? by sophomores Milo Zinser-Trudel and Ari Pharshy, and Family Feud by junior Hank Durfee and senior Maddy Peterson.
On participating in her final Dramafest, Peterson said, “Dramafest for the past three years has been very meaningful to me, as I’ve been able to take creative risks and watch stories that I spend a lot of time creating come to life. I discovered my love for writing and directing during the first year I took part in Dramafest, and I knew that I was going to continue participating for as long as I could. It felt like a full-circle moment watching my last show get produced and performed, as I was able to celebrate my years participating in Dramafest as well as look ahead to future years if I choose to become involved in writing or directing again.”
Unlike other high school productions, which typically spend around two months on rehearsal, all of Dramafest was produced in just one week. Students arrived at the Powerhouse Theatre on Monday afternoon to read selections from the plays, which directors used to cast parts. After rehearsals on Tuesday and Wednesday and a final dress rehearsal on Thursday, Dramafest opened on Friday night with two sold-out performances.
Freshman Julia Savelli, who acted in three of the plays, said “I was super excited to participate in Dramafest as my first performance at NCHS. I had expected it to be much higher stakes, but was relieved that it was truly all for fun. The cast, crew, and directors did such a phenomenal job making it impressively high quality for what little time we had to prepare it. It was such a cool, creative space for everyone to have a fun time while creating hilarious, and moving art.”
All of the costumes and props used onstage were provided by students or pulled from the Powerhouse’s collection. Students Isla Campbell, Finn Bumbulis and Chace Howe served as stage managers, with lighting designed and operated by senior Nina de Guzman.
New Canaan High School’s remaining productions this school year are William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (March 6-7), and the musicals You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (March 27-28) and And the World Goes ‘Round (May 29-30). Information about tickets is available at www.newcanaanhighschooltheatre.com.
The Town Players of New Canaan is a non-profit producing community theatre, whose upcoming productions are One Man, Two Guvnors (opening February 27), The Father (April 24), and Once (June 5). Tickets are available at tpnc.org.
