Lights. Camera. Action.

In the beginning of the 2017 school year, Anthony Prather, the new theatre teacher, joined the Clements family. Prather comes to the rangers from Alamo Jr. High, with 15 full years of experience to his credit.

Prather has already become an important part of students’ lives. He described his first impression on this school as “a breath of fresh air.”

As for the year to come, Prather has big plans for the upcoming shows. According to Prather, the first show will be “Spamalot,’’ which Prather described as a “musical farce.” This takes ideas from several Monty Python movies and turns them into a stage musical.

During the spring, the theater group will transition from “Spamalot” to performing “A View from the Bridge.”

“This one is an Arthur Miller work with some dark, heavy themes, but it is a good, dramatic piece,” Prather said.

As Prather has directed his students, he says he has been amazed at how much they motivate him to do his best work.  

“Oh my goodness, Clements kids are full of so much personality, energy, and excitement. That is what has really excited and inspired me this year,” Prather said.

The theater students have influenced Prather during his first year at Clements, and he looks forward to interacting with them in the coming months and years.

“I can’t wait to develop relationships and offer what I have to assist students to grow. I really look forward to helping them to become the individuals they will be and to having my mark on them,” Prather said.

Prather draws on his own past experiences as part of his effort to impact students.                    

When asked how he first began his theater career, Prather recounted the story of his first audition. Although he had been in band and choir since junior high, it was in college when he first found theater. Prather said he was looking for a friend in the band hall when he accidentally interrupted a theater group holding auditions.

“They wouldn’t let me leave until I read and auditioned for a part in the homecoming play. I thought “Okay, whatever.”,” Prather said.

Prather read the piece and was asked to be the lead in the play, “Thor with Angels.”  

“From there, the theater bug just bit me. I was hungry, and I wanted to learn everything I could about it, and I did,” he said.

Mr. Prather may have discovered theater by accident in college, but he hopes to be able to reach out to many future thespians during their high school careers.

“Learn how to accept rejection gracefully because perseverance is rewarded,” Prather said.

As Clements’ newest theater teacher, Mr. Prather is already making his mark. He has many experiences and skills that make him the person he is today. The knowledge he has acquired from his past years of being an actor is now being passed down to the thespians of tomorrow.