Gonzales Junior High seeks new theater director due to growth

As the Gonzales Independent School District’s Theatre Department continues to grow, Gonzales Junior High School is in search of a new theatre director to fill the position.

Leslie Buesing, having been the theater teacher and director at both Gonzales Junior High School and Gonzales High School for 22 years, will still be teaching and directing Gonzales High School. The driving factor of this search for Junior High School is the growth of the theatre department, which saw a spike in kids after the 2021 fall production of “Grease,” as well as the addition of sixth grade in Gonzales Junior High School.

“’Grease’ had a large audience,” Leslie Buesing said. “Two campuses came and saw it, so there are a lot of kids now interested in theatre because they saw the Greasers and the Pink Ladies and they thought it was so cool.”

Buesing said growth of the theatre department may fluctuate depending on the fall production shows. 

“We did ‘Robin Hood’ one year, and that sparked interest. There was sword fights and all these other things. We also did ‘Little Mermaid’ and ‘Grease’ was huge,” Buesing said. “I don’t always do those big shows because, especially with musicals, they’re super expensive. My kids have to raise money to do those, and there’s a lot of volunteers that go into it. This year will not be a musical.”

The main purpose of the fall show is to train new people for the high school One Act Play production.

“With the fall show, you can try out new people and let them get their feet wet,” Buesing said. “It helps for students to learn what all goes into a show because it’s not just about memorizing lines.”

While the job will be a teaching position at Gonzales Junior High School, Buesing is also looking for someone to help co-direct and be a part of the team. 

“I’m hoping for a creative team player that’s ready to go,” Buesing said. “I would love new energy and new ideas. Isn’t it nice to be under somebody and learn the ropes before you go off? You’ll feel more confident to be left on your own.”

Buesing wants students to realize that art provides perspective, and she believes theatre is a mandatory art form for all students.

“Theatre, which I think is so surely needed in our society today, teaches empathy,” “It teaches you to say ‘I’m looking at the world from my vision, but now I’m going to stop and imagine myself in that person’s shoes and look around the world from that point.’”

Applications for this position were posted two weeks ago and are still active.