Whether he is on the stage coordinating a particularly tricky scene for a student to get the hang of, or backstage talking with his co-directors, or in the house simply watching his students perform, new theater coordinator Grif Sadow has begun a new period of theater for the school.

“I went to a variety of high schools and organizations,” Sadow said, “and provided administrative, technical, and artistic services in theater to whatever their needs were.”  Sadow’s experience as a director has also taken him across a multitude of high schools, and even to Scotland to participate in the International Fringe Festival.

Sadow’s career in theater, one that has now led him to Stillwater Area High School, has been a long and fulfilling one, among a massive time acting, choreographing, directing, performing improv, and being a life coach. Sadow also founded and acted as head consultant for Theatrereferences, his own company.

So far, Sadow has already made an impression on the school with new plans for the school’s yearly theater schedule.

“There’s no junior high or elementary school actors in the department,” Sadow said, “It’s going to be run like a traditional high school program.”

This marks a change for the theater department as a whole- over the previous few years, a multitude of younger actors, at the elementary and junior high level, have been involved with shows at the senior high- including last spring’s Cinderella and The Little Prince the year previously.

Another major change that Sadow intends on making is the removal of the schools traditional variety show, “There won’t be a variety show this year- we’re going to look at something different for the fall.”

Finally, the spring musical is planned to perform over two consecutive weekends, and will be a contender in this year’s Spotlight awards, a competitive musical theater activity in which high schools across the state get the chance to perform for judges. High-ranking schools are given honors, and opportunities for workshops and to perform at the State Theater.

Yet, despite all these major changes that Sadow has brought to the department, the school’s drama club remains the same at its core, for the time being at least.

“He has some different ideas about having smaller shows and stuff,” drama club co-president Emily Heidick said, “But he decided that as he was given two presidents of drama club and a board, he was going to let us have our drama club as we were already in place before he got there. There aren’t as many changes this year, but I think next year will bring a lot of major changes.”

As for Sadow’s initial impact among students, he has received only positive reviews. “I like Mr. Sadow” Heidick said, “He’s pretty cool, he’s really understanding about conflicts, and I really like how he has a lot of student positions in all the shows. He really prizes tech.”

“I think he’s a good guy, and an even better director,” junior Zach Feinberg said, “who’s very engaging with his students.”

So as the Sadow moves into the new experiences that Stillwater will bring, he brings with him an entirely new aspect of the stage. Under Sadow, theater is going to be a completely new experience, for all students of drama for years to come.