“Reducing the number of producers not only shrinks student leadership opportunities… but gets rid of the smaller, more approachable shows. While we do not doubt that the theater department is full of extremely knowledgeable and skilled staff, these shows are, at their core, student-directed,” wrote students involved in Andover’s Theater and Dance programs. The aforementioned changes recently made by the department shrunk the number of producers from 8-10 producers to 4-6 and prevented producers from performing in Grasshopper, Andover’s major annual student talent show. Frustrations with these changes were then reflected and outlined in a letter sent to the Theater and Dance Department.
Robert Lazar, the new chair of the Theater and Dance Department, explained the thought process behind the recent decisions. According to Lazar, the aim of the new number of producers was to make the plot process more efficient and streamlined. He also explained how the department historically had fewer producers, with the new change reverting back to a less biased production decision.
“We were looking at streamlining the plot process to try to make it a little bit more efficient than it appeared to be in the past. And also, historically, there were fewer producers, and the producer numbers have grown over time. We were also looking at going back to an earlier model. So, that’s some of the thought of going to fewer numbers. Then also looking at what, other than Grasshopper, we were doing for the drama labs and the dance labs and looking at what would be the right number of producers to be able to support that,” said Lazar.
Mayumi Kawano ’25 contributed to the drafting and signing of the letter. Kawano expressed dissatisfaction with the existing policies, particularly regarding the impact on the creative autonomy of rising Seniors and other dance groups.
“[I] was definitely disappointed and shocked because of how little representation other dance groups would be getting and overall how little involvement students would be able to have. Especially since, [as] rising Seniors, we really wanted our last year of performances to end with a bang, and have more opinion on that, or be able to have at least some control over what we could be able to produce, or how much we would be able to produce,” said Kawano.
Similarly, Ashiq Kibria ’26 also felt like it was a large change that could affect the quality of shows and the variety of groups represented. The letter, signed by many students, explained how these changes could make things less fun and less fair for everyone.
“I was shocked by the lack of producers getting accepted next year. It not only affects the quality of shows throughout the school year but also the representation in the producers. It becomes harder for each dance or a cappella group to get represented if one of their members can’t help produce the shows they’re in. I was also shocked by not being allowed to perform, as producers should be some of the most talented people in the Theater and Dance department. At least [from] what I’ve seen, they’ve played major roles in their groups. Without one of the Co-Heads, a group can be lacking.” said Kibria.
In response to student feedback and concerns, the department has been communicating with the current theater producers, who initially forwarded the letter over to them. Lazar explained the reasoning behind the sudden change for producers not being allowed to perform. However, he noted that faculty members also understood the student reaction.
“The decision was made with the intention of removing bias from the process. If you are in a group, then you naturally will have bias. So, to try to eliminate that, the whole process is a little bit, whether it’s perceived, is more fair… I understand why a student or students would want to make sure their voice is heard. That’s important, and their voices should be heard, so there’s no ill will or begrudging. It’s also an indication that we need to look at how we communicate from both sides, not just the student side, not just the adult side,” said Lazar.
Saumik Sharma ’25, who was selected as a future producer, expressed understanding of the sentiments in the letter and emphasized the importance of dialogue between students and faculty in making such decisions.
“For next year, the decision is made, but I think it would be great if for years after I would say that having conversations with students and dialogue would be beneficial for everybody for all voices I heard,” said Sharma.
