While others may see chaos with the auditorium and costume closet under construction, Jordan High theatre teacher and director Suzie DuVal sees opportunity.

“Construction in the auditorium will begin with the winter holidays, so we can still perform the musical in our auditorium this fall,” she said. “However, they took our light board to Eastmont because their board had died, so I didn't have a light board when school started. When we got our new light board and were being trained how to use it, we learned we had to clear our costume shop because the crews wanted to start working in there. So, we moved the costumes to the stage, the dressing room and the bell choir room. It’s all OK; we’re going to have some beautiful facilities once everything is done.”

The upgrades will include a new Black Box theatre. In the meantime, DuVal and her students are juggling rehearsal and performance spaces.

The season opens with “Richard III,” adapted by DuVal and directed by student teacher Leona Lombardi. The 40-member ensemble performs Sept. 30 at the school, 95 Beetdigger Blvd., before competing at the 49th annual Utah Shakespeare High School Festival in Cedar City. About 80 students will participate in scenes, monologues, dance and Tech Olympics.

The fall musical, “Cinderella,” will run Nov. 13-15 and Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets, available at the door, are $6 for students and $8 for adults. Lombardi directs with Dean Rice assisting. DuVal produces; Jennifer Humphrey choreographs with student Makayle Reid; and Jaron Putnam leads vocals. Jordan Wright will direct the pit orchestra.

“Our production of ‘Cinderella’ is going to have a lot of puppets and devising, and a lot of the magic will happen in front of your eyes. There will be a lot of dance and movement with the devising and that will give our ensemble fun opportunities,” DuVal said.

Leads include senior Kate Barnes as Ella, senior Matt Gibbons as Prince Topher, junior Evelyn Shore as Marie, the fairy godmother and junior Adam Lindsay as Jean-Michel. With 20 Eastmont Middle students in the cast, the show features 100 performers and 60 tech students. All instrumental students will learn the score, with a rotating pit each night.

On Dec. 18 at 7 p.m., students will present the Night of Broadway. Tickets are $5, with proceeds funding guest artist workshops.

With the auditorium under renovation, a student-written interactive show based on “A Day Well Spent” will be staged Feb. 19-21 and Feb. 23, 2026, in the Tech Atrium.

“It’s going to feel like a familiar story, but we're kind of rewriting it with lots of new characters,” DuVal said. “We want it to be interactive so people will get up on stage and do fun things in the show. It may be dessert theater, so I think the audience will get dessert as part of their admission price.”

Students will perform their one-act ensemble at region in March under the direction of Rice. State is in April.

In May, the season closes with a Theatre 2 showcase on May 5 and student-directed one-acts on May 6-7, 2026. 

“We use as many student-written works as possible; last year, about three quarters of the plays were student written,” DuVal said. “We hope we can perform that next year in our new Black Box that’s being built.”

The school’s improv team, led by senior Lincoln Keele and junior Cayden Barfuss, holds weekly rehearsals and plans six shows this year. Improv falls under the umbrella of the school’s drama club led by president senior Sydney Pratley.

The improv team also compete at the annual Slap Fest competition. 

“It’s really fun; they compete for judges and get feedback,” DuVal said.

Community outreach includes free middle school workshops in December and a performing arts camp on Jan. 24, 2026. 

“It started as a theater camp, but last year, with more than 100 kids signed up, we expanded it to a performing arts camp,” DuVal said. “Our drama council along with other performing arts leaders gain leaderships skills and help teach them.”