Students from the Ramstein High School drama program rehearse for their current production. (Kat Nickola)
When drama teacher Shane Horn started teaching at Ramstein High School (RHS), the students had been in their brand-new school building for a year. He knew he was stepping into a new facility, but he didn’t expect the challenge of growing a program from scratch in 2022.
Since then, the drama department at the school has grown from a small group of students with few resources to a maturing, robust program with huge participation.
Ramstein High Scool drama teacher Shane Horn in the newly updated theater classroom with new modular stage pieces. (Kat Nickola)
I visited RHS to speak with Mr. Horn who was quick to say, “I sound complain-ey; I don’t want to complain… my administration is so supportive.” However, the incredible growth of this program can only be demonstrated if we also start at square one.
Prior to moving into the new building, the RHS drama program had been dynamic, with a catalogue of wide-ranging performances. Beginning in 2020, a storm of events changed things. COVID-19 restrictions meant in-person classes and performances were extremely limited even as the students moved into a new building the following school year.
During the move in 2021, the previous drama teacher decided to retire. Without an advocate at the busy new campus still reeling with COVID limitations, the theater program was lost in the shuffle, and resources were not brought to the new school.
A long-term substitute held the drama class afloat for a year and was even able to put on a minimalist performance of “Our Town.” So, when Mr. Horn arrived in 2022, he found himself awkwardly teaching a single drama class in one of the new open-concept neighborhood classrooms with moveable walls. He was given school funds to purchase a baseline of theater items, which helped give the program a starting point.
Members of the Ramstein High School drama program in one of two backstage dressing rooms with costumes and furniture acquired over the last four years. (Kat Nickola)
In addition, he did not have access to the stage for performances. The stage at RHS is in a large, open space the school calls The Great Hall, which had already been reserved by other school groups for the entire school year. It is used for many things.
While I was at RHS, the drama students were rehearsing on stage while sports boosters finalized posters on cafeteria tables, janitorial staff ran machinery and other students lingered in the back to study.
““When I got here and kind of assessed the situation, I said to myself: Self, I said, in about five years with the right kids, with the right team, with the right support, we might be able to stage a Broadway brand musical.” ”
— Shane Horn, RHS drama teacher
Mr. Horn discussing a newly assembled cart prop with student Zoë Olsen on the stage in Ramstein High School’s Great Hall. (Kat Nickola)
There were a lot of challenges that needed tackled one at a time. Mr. Horn impressed upon his students that “good art often comes from bad circumstances.” So, they creatively presented “A Christmas Carol” using the school campus as a walkabout performance space, which didn’t require them to reserve the stage.
The next challenge was funding. Senior Mikayla Bradley says: “People don’t really think about it, but the actual script and the rights to perform a play are probably some of the most expensive pieces of a play. And at the time we were just starting, we couldn’t afford anything.”
So, sticking with a public domain script like “A Christmas Carol” was a good solution for the first semester. Next, they focused on playwriting in class and students worked together to write and perform a play they titled “Prawn Prom.”
Ramstein High School drama program students rehearse for their current production of “Willy Wonka Jr.” (Kat Nickola)
That year, four of his students attended Dramafest, a DoWEA Europe-wide weeklong camp of workshops like playwriting, set engineering, lighting and sound design, music and performance. Top students selected from across DoWEA collaborate and earn honors for their craft.
In 2022 none of the four Dramafest attendees from RHS earned honors. This year, in 2026, RHS had 20 students who earned medals at the event.
The Drama Club at RHS supports the program by providing backstage skills, participating in community outreach, concessions and accepting donations at performances.
With the revenue from that first year, they were able to purchase the rights to perform “MmmBeth,” a low-budget comedy based on the famous Scottish play. It was followed by another student-written play; what began as a creative solution has become an integral part of the program.
Many of the RHS drama students also participate in the drama club, allowing them to help with the current feature production. (Kat Nickola)
“I throw everything to them. Very democratic. We decide everything together. They are smarter than me,” says Mr. Horn.
Senior Leonor Alton recalls the challenge, “Freshman year for the Prawn Prom, all we had were the chairs from the cafeteria. We had the choir for the background because the sound wasn’t working very well. The problem is the stage was built for assemblies and things, not really for theater.”
By the third year of Mr. Horn’s tenure, they accomplished what he thought would take five: They staged “Mean Girls Jr.” He says it was only possible “because of these kids.”
RHS student Zoë Olsen expressed excitement at being part of the first ever musical in the new building: “I didn’t even know some of my classmates could sing.”
Dominique Mullins, playing Grandpa Joe in the current performance of “Willy Wonka Jr.”, waits backstage on set pieces. (Kat Nickola)
Enrollment in the drama program has increased exponentially. “Last year we had one full beginning drama class and this year they had to expand [to two classes] and they had people on the waiting list…since they had so many people interested in the program,” says student Avelyn Estes.
Next school year, RHS will have four drama classes and Mr. Horn expects they will need five in 2027.
Beginning drama students still write their own shows to perform during school. Intermediate and advanced students learn more intricate stagecraft like light, sound, and backstage tasks, they are also eligible to audition for acting roles in the after-school feature performances. Drama club members can volunteer to help backstage.
With more students involved, more stagecraft skills can be learned and managed by the students. While Mr. Horn directs performances, there is also a student director and students are responsible for leading the departments that make an entire show come to the stage: costumes, sets and props, stage managing, choreography, music and publicity.
Students in the RHS drama program learn a variety of skills including how to operate the lighting, seen here above the Great Hall. (Kat Nickola)
““Seeing it being built up has been such an incredible experience and I’m really grateful I’ve been a part of that… each [show] has been just another step up in terms of sets and tech and costumes, and now we are building our own sets and buying our own costumes. We are making a home for ourselves.” ”
— Zoë Olsen, student RHS
Junior Dervala Cregan has found her niche helping with the costume team. “I feel like I get to do something I’m really proud of…I really like how everything looks cohesive together.” Student Evonna Burks creates amazing props out of cardboard, including a giant TV and a chainsaw. Senior Mikayla Bradley appreciates the opportunity to write, which is something she would like to pursue in the future.
This year, the school invested heavily in the drama program. They now have a dedicated classroom and a modular stage which has already been shared with other groups at the school. “This is our first year with our new principal and she has been just so supportive,” says Mr. Horn. In addition, the Ramstein Officer Spouses Club (ROSC) provided a grant that allowed them to purchase the rights for their current production.
“Willy Wonka Jr.” will be RHS drama program’s first performance with built sets. Junior Ana’Lia Wiliams is playing Wonka and she and her parents built the large set pieces for the show. “A majority of this is student-led at this point,” says Williams.
The current production of “Willy Wonka Jr.” is the first time the RHS drama students have made and used full set pieces since the program reset after moving into the new building in 2021. (Kat Nickola)
The tangible growth of the RHS drama program has left students with more than just lessons in stagecraft and acting.
““I get to do something I’m proud of. Now that I know what we are capable of, what we can achieve, I just feel so lucky to be able to do this here. There is something special about RHS. I think it’s the community we have.” ”
— Dervala Cregan, student RHS
Moving forward, Mr. Horn is ready to introduce experimental theater using non-traditional spaces and encourage shows outside of their current tone. The program has some incredible talent, but Mr. Horn would welcome even more interested students. “I still have trouble finding singing boys.” Having said that, he is excited to see what the students come up with.
The drama department at RHS will stage “Willy Wonka Jr.” at the school’s Great Hall stage on April 16, 17 and 18, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Entry is donation based. Follow the club for information about upcoming shows on Instagram @rhs_performingarts.
