Students revive campus theater with debut of original ‘Arc: The Musical' at WVC
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From left: Wenatchee Valley College Drama Club's Kamen Martinez, Micah Meloy, Sophie Thomas Piscopo, Zachary Van Matre, and Carson Dimke rehearse for "Arc: The Musical" April 21, 2026, at the Wells Hall Theater. The student-built production, which doubles as the public debut of the newly formed club, will be performed May 7-10 at 6 p.m. at the Wells Hall Theater.
When the lights rise in Wells Hall Theater, more than a musical will arrive. Something older, and newly reborn, will step onto the stage with it: college theater in Wenatchee.
The Wenatchee Valley College Drama Club will present "Arc: The Musical" May 7-10 at 6 p.m. on the WVC campus, a student-built production that doubles as the public debut of a newly formed club aimed at bringing drama back to the college.
For months, students have swept dust from a quiet theater, hung posters, gathered cast members from across the valley and turned an abandoned stage into a performance space.
"It was completely abandoned when we showed up," said Eli Wright, the show's writer and artistic director. "But the drama club gave me an outlet and a way to actually make this a reality."
"Arc: The Musical" tells the story of Joan of Arc, her visions, victories and downfall, through a blend of medieval history, mythic storytelling and a soundtrack rooted in alternative rock. Wright describes it as a show built from French romanticism, 1990s punk energy and historical atmosphere.
"It's a very personal sort of adaptation," Wright said. "Instead of how you usually hear the story, it's more stylized and mythologized."
The production is a world premiere of a student-written jukebox musical, with students leading nearly every aspect of the process, including directing, acting, choreography, sound, costumes, set design, management and marketing.
"This is a world premiere of a student-written jukebox musical, produced, directed, managed and acted by students," said Rebecca Hargrove, faculty adviser for the WVC Drama Club.
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Wenatchee Valley College Drama Club members Juliana Flores, front far left; Lorelai Gillenwater, back left; Hannah Wright, front center; Carson Dimke, back center; Christian Perez, center right; Zachary Van Matre, back right; and James Harnish, far right, rehearse for "Arc: The Musical" on April 21, 2026, at the Wells Hall Theater. The student-built production, which doubles as the public debut of the newly formed club, will be performed May 7-10 at 6 p.m. at the Wells Hall Theater.
The revival of theater at the college began when student Ashley Jensen approached Hargrove with a proposal: Wenatchee Valley College needed drama again.
"The college had been missing theater and that sense for a while," Hargrove said. "I thought, let's see what we can do here."
Jensen, the production's administrative director, helped organize the club from scratch, recruiting members, coordinating meetings and helping turn an idea into a program.
"We wanted to provide a theater opportunity for private schools as well as the college," Jensen said. "And the college just straight up did not have theater."
The club's first production includes performers and crew members from Wenatchee Valley College, Cashmere High School, Eastmont High School, Wenatchee High School, River Academy, homeschool students and WVC alumni. For some cast members, it is their first time on stage; others bring experience.
"It's been incredible to see the progression," Wright said. "People showed up never having set foot on a stage, incredibly nervous. Then they acted like they owned the place."
That blend of seasoned performers and newcomers gives the production the feel of both a community workshop and a student-led revival.
The show features Joan of Arc guided by saints who also function as a Greek chorus and punk rock band called the Heralds, narrating scenes with drums, bass and electric guitar. There is humor, too, tucked among the martyrdom and monarchy.
But beneath the spectacle is something more practical and lasting: students creating a place for themselves where none existed.
"That's what I like about theater," Hargrove said. "Being part of this project that has a starting date and an ending date. We build the thing for other people, but also for ourselves."
For one weekend, Joan of Arc will stride into Wells Hall through distortion pedals and candlelight. Just as notably, a college stage long gone quiet will speak again.
Tickets are $7 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. They will be sold in the Van Tassell Center and at the door. Cash, check and Venmo will be accepted.
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