August 30 marked the start of the new drama season.

As rehearsal kicked off, many new things were on the horizon for future shows. In addition to a new performing space, the Poway center of performing arts, there was also a surge of incoming freshmen to the program.

The freshman class outnumbered other grade levels three-to-one during auditions, making competition especially tough.

Ms. Wilson is optimistic about the show in works — “Lost Girl”, a play following Wendy Darling, who is grown up and exploring to find the kiss she gave Peter as a young girl.This new play comes with new improvements to Cathedral’s Drama program.

Ms. Wilson is excited for this year because, “this play is unique and different, something that we have never done before.” And Cathedral Catholic is thrilled to welcome the class of 2026 into the drama program, some starting their first show ever.

Julieta Zavala-Lemarroy ‘26 expresses how she’s most excited for the “show itself, just watching it all come together, it seems like a really cool process.” Coming into high school with a fresh slate, she is excited to become familiar with this community and its opportunities. Zavala-Lemarroy describes her first impressions of high school acting, “the first time I’ve had drama as a course at school, so I’m really excited to get to work during school and after hours on my acting.”

Renne Velez ‘26 was cast as the lead, Wendy. As an experienced actor, she is excited for the opportunities this role grants her, like finding new ways to grow into this role. Velez expresses her excitement over the ability to “learn from the amount of people I am around. Everybody here is amazingly talented and Miss Wilson’s brain is just insane, her ideas and what she does, I look up to her so much.”

Velez is an example of one of the many benefits at Cathedral Catholic: students can find new passions, as well as amplify existing ones. This play provides an opportunity for people to try new things, both on and off the stage. The mentorship between students and teachers, between actors and directors, creates a tight knit community at Cathedral Catholic.

Looking forward, Ms. Wilson wants to remind students, “even though we have a rigorous and collegiate drama program that draws actors to the school, we always welcome everyone in an inclusive program to create stellar performances, that are put on by students who do everything, and step up as leaders in every capacity.”