North Atlanta is home to thousands of students with a diverse array of interests, talents, and abilities. Each year, the Warriors find places to devote their time, energy, and skills. As many students flock to athletics, fine arts, and CTAE departments, some find their time in the hillside building singing and dancing away as part of North Atlanta’s theater department. The students bring all the flair and the fun that theater represents, however, someone has to lead them, hone their skills, and turn them into a performance worth watching. Through the hard work of theater teachers Liane LeMaster and Nathan Snyder a group of theater kids hold show-stopping performances every year.
Lemaster’s theater journey started long before thoughts of college or a job even came to mind. She has been passionately involved in a theater career since the first grade and those days were what made her fall in love with the visuals, art and joy of theatrical performances. This passion stayed with her throughout college, as she majored in theater at Northwestern University, and into adulthood. During this time, LeMaster organized and taught programs that introduced theater to all ages from kindergarteners up to the elderly. It was through those programs that she realized her love of teaching and as she entered into the North Atlanta theater community, her commitment to helping theater lovers bloom into their greatest form remains strong. “I love that I get to spend up to four years with a student,” LeMaster said. ”I can really see how they can grow and progress as a thespian.”
The work of a full two-hour production must be done with help. Aiding in the process, Snyder covers the technical aspect of theater. Initially introduced to theater through dance, the craft of performance art eventually brought him to the discovery of how shows came together. As he continued to perform, he stumbled upon a theater teacher job listing, and with all the right qualifications, Snyder soon began teaching, guiding, and leading student productions. He has come full circle by being able to provide to the theater students what he never had in high school. “We have more funding than my sad little school in North Carolina,” Snyder said. “Which means we are able to do bigger and better things.”
LeMaster and Snyder are a duo unlike any other. As they have come together to create productions with talented and driven students, their bond and ability to collaborate have grown stronger. The pair go beyond co-workers and have become good friends as they work together each year to inspire theater students to go above and beyond in each performance. Keelin LaHiff, the stage manager for this year’s North Atlanta musical, sees how they collaborate at every rehearsal. “They are definitely a very dynamic duo,” said Lahiff.
LeMaster and Snyder are essential figures in the theater department, providing rhyme and reason to the driven theater students of North Atlanta. As the two continue to work tirelessly to bring the school a worthwhile performance, make sure to tune in each year to see the fruits of their efforts and enjoy an exhilarating show of singing and dancing.
