Ms. Lane is the Theatre Arts teacher and Drama Club/Thespian Troupe Advisor at Roosevelt High School and has been teaching here since 2007. In addition to heading up the theatre department, she is also the Artistic Director of Opening Act Theatre Company which supports the after school theatre activities.
Ms. Lane is originally from California, but grew up and started her teaching career in Arizona. After teaching in Arizona for three years, she knew she wanted a change. “I knew I wanted to move. And I love the rain, and I love the green”, Lane shared about her decision to move to Oregon in 1999, “I’m so glad that I moved here because I love Portland”.
Ms. Lane is a powerhouse and runs the Roosevelt Theatre Department as a one person show with a really good attitude and huge amount of skill. She reflects, “Over the years I’ve taught a bunch of different classes, but this year I teach beginning acting, intermediate acting, advanced acting, [and] senior theatre. All those are on the performance track. And then on the design tech track. I teach stagecraft one, two, three, and four and theatre production and management.” The theatre classes are CTE classes and can provide students with a dual credit opportunity, too. “Ms. Lane is really sweet, loves theatre, and works crazy hard. I’m super inspired by her.” says Hazel Hooton, grade 10. Ms. Lane loves theatre and teaching and adds, “Why do I teach? I love it, I love the students. They’re the number one reason..they’re the reason we’re all here.”
This year the theatre department did the fall plays The 24 Hour Plays, with Stage Left PDX, our alumni theatre group headed by RHS theatre alumni and current Ethnic Studies teacher Abby Pasion-Yang, and Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, part of the first ever PPS ShakesFest, hosted at Roosevelt, and are currently gearing up for Means Girls High School Version, which hits the stage on February 27th. Their season will conclude with a production of The Velveteen Rabbit and Senior Shorts in the spring.
Each year at the annual Thespian Induction Ceremony in the end of May, after inducting new Thespians, conferring officers, and giving out honor awards, Ms. Lane announces the next year’s theatre season and all of the shows. Each season is unique and next year’s will be equally exciting!
Whether comfortable on stage or looking to break out of your shell and gain confidence, Ms. Lane encourages students to forecast for Beginning Acting. If you want to work backstage, Stagecraft is a great first step. Everyone is encouraged to take a theatre class while in high school.
