Nicole Hernandez has stepped in as the new drama director.
She attended Cal State San Marcos and got her Visual of Performing Arts Degree, after that she went into theater education, managing theater education programs for non-profit theaters in Poway. Hernandez created a six week writing class taught she at many schools.
Craving more consistency, she became the office manager at Garden Road Elementary where she formed new connections with people at Poway Unified School District in the Arts Department where she heard about a long term substitute position last year for PHS.
Bonding with her drama students, Hernandez sees herself in many of them throughout their time together.
“Seeing my students have those same moments and seeing the beginnings of who they’re going to be for their lives is really incredible,” Hernandez said.
Feeling full circle, Hernandez has been surrounded by an artsy family. Since her father taught music, she would often go to his lessons growing up. When she was in elementary school, her dad was a music assistant at Poway High School, and she would watch the band practice through the window of the office that was once his, now hers.
With big plans for the upcoming fall play, Clue, Hernandez has worked hard with her students to brainstorm ideas, including figuring out how they would fit multiple “rooms” on stage. Senior scenic designer Grace Diaz has come up with many creative ways to make it all fit together.
Hernandez, Diaz, and many others thought about how they could use the PCPA to their advantage. They landed on the idea of building out into the crowd, immersing the audience in the performance.
They debated how“to just make this as innovative and interesting as possible,” Hernandez said.
The production team works together, bouncing ideas off each other to create an unforgettable experience for the audience and everyone involved.
Hernandez takes pride in expressing her style and believing that if the drama teacher can’t be extra, then who can?
“She has allowed each student to express their individuality and makes the drama room feel like a place you want to go back to every day,” Diaz said.
