Clements theatre, a huge contributor to the excellent reputation of our school’s fine arts program, has wrapped up production of A View From the Bridge, which followed a successful run of their musical, Spamalot. Each year the theatre program puts on a variety of productions which are enjoyed by the entire student body. However, not everyone is aware of the numerous contributions made by our theatre president, Dinah Ndu, who helps to keep the program running smoothly both behind the scenes and in the spotlight.

The first time Dinah expressed an interest in theatre was when she was in the 4th grade. Up until that point, she had been an extremely shy kid, but her mom encouraged her to try out for the school showcase which eventually had a huge impact on her future.

“I ended up getting a really good role and I loved it. I‘ve continued theatre ever since that moment,” said Ndu.

Dinah has been a part of a huge variety of productions during her time with Clements theatre so far, but three of them have stood out for her as being the most impactful in her love for theatre.

The first was her role as Catwoman in a UIL competition show titled By the Bog of Cats, in which she played a blind lady who had psychic powers and was isolated from society. Due to the complexity of the character, this role was vital in helping Dinah improve her character development skills.

“With the help of my directors, I started to understand the character more and it [became] easier for me to analyze the action of that character,” said Ndu.

The second most influential role that marked Dinah’s landmark community theatre performance, was when she played Heather Chandler in Heather the Musical. That experience helped Dinah connect with others and allowed her to broaden her theatre experience outside of her familiar environment at school.

“It was really fun to work with new people and see how much theatre affected them too,” said Ndu.

The third role, which is both her favorite role and the role that most Clements students most likely recognized her in this year, was her role as the male lead, King Arthur, in Spamalot. This role proved to be challenging at first due to the fact that she had to play a male role, but it ultimately showed Dinah that she should never underestimate her potential.

“That taught me to not doubt myself and work harder even when I feel like I can’t do it,” said Ndu.

As president of theatre, Dinah is integral to keeping the program running smoothly. She oversees the responsibilities of the other theatre officers and communicates with the parents in the booster club to make sure everyone is coordinated within the organization. She also plans weekly meetings for officers to help make sure everyone is communicating with each other.

In addition to successfully managing the members of the theatre program, Dinah has also contributed to the program’s recognition and support through her many acting-related awards that she has brought back to the school. She recently performed at the Renaissance Festival this year and finished second place with her group. She also came in third place at a Shakespeare competition at Duchesne Academy and took her award back to the theatre program.

“I won 3rd place and received 150 dollars for me and for Clements theatre,” said Ndu.

Fortunately, Dinah’s passion for theatre will not end after graduating as she plans to continue pursuing theatre into the future.

“I really want to continue theatre after college..[and] I would love to work on theatre professionally too,” said Ndu.

To anyone who is interested in theatre but has not had the opportunity to join the program at Clements, Dinah has a few words of advice:

“If someone wanted to join Clements theatre, I would tell them to go for it. It helps so many people come out of their shells and there are so many welcoming people,” said Ndu.

Considering all of the ways Dinah has contributed to the theatre program, both through her leadership roles and her acting skills, she has definitely left a positive impact on the program that will last long after she has graduated.