As the curtain closed on Central’s fall rendition of the hit musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the actors and crew reflected on the amazing experience and trust they built through eight weeks of hard work.

The actors performed alongside each other in almost every scene, leading to them spending many long nights together working on lines, acting out scenes, and just becoming better friends. They bonded over their shared stress, and strengthened their relationships.

“The fact that there were six leads that were on all the time, compared to other shows, really affected the show a lot because we needed to rely on each other way more,” Senior, Terry Brown, who played Linus said, “That made us get closer to each other.”

Senior Campbell Blick has worked as the stage manager in theater all four years of high school. Through these years, theater has given Blick a safe space as she has collaborated with new cast members each time.

“I’ve learned to appreciate theater and how intimate it is. I will carry these connections with me wherever I go next.” Blick said. “The biggest thing is really the friendships that you create during the making of a show, or even just from constantly being backstage. [The theater community] allowed me to find friendship and a home.”

Senior, Alex Smith, who played Charlie Brown, came full circle with the familiar stories and characters from his childhood in his last year of the Fall Musical.

“I grew up on Charlie Brown, all the different things like holiday movies and stuff, so especially with it being my senior show, it was like bringing me back to that nostalgia,” Smith said.

The cast saw themselves in their characters which allowed them to dive into their characterization. .

“The characters we play in the musical act just like we do in our everyday life, poking fun at each other and messing with their friends whenever they get the chance,” said Senior Lucy Byrd. “The children we play really are just like us, because in the end, they come together and have fun with their friends”

Since the cast is mostly seniors, many felt they needed to leave their legacy with the younger cast members.

“I feel like we need to make a huge impression on the freshmen, on the sophomores, on the juniors. That way they know what to do when we’re gone,” Blick said.

Lucy Beaumont was the only freshman among the six main characters. She played Sally, Charlie Brown’s little sister. She found an easy transition into the theater community which provided her numerous familiar faces as she navigated her way through her freshman year.

“It’s hard to find friends coming from a smaller school,” Beaumont said, “[Theater’s] just given me lots of built-in friends, and I get to meet all sorts of different people.”

Because of the age gap between Beaumont and many of the other cast members, Beaumont got the chance to see first hand just how impactful the theater community is among students.

“They really showed me how to always put your best foot forward, even when you’re tired, cranky, or have other things going on,” Beaumont said. “They taught me to just always show kindness to everyone.”

Many of the students have performed alongside each other for years now, and especially with the small cast of this production, many new and veteran students created close knit relationships.

“It makes me sad that this is the last time that I’m gonna get to perform with the majority of these people.” Smith said. “The closing of this show was definitely one of the hardest, but everyone will carry with them the lessons and memories of it.”

Byrd’s character, Lucy, has the last line of the show which acted as a great end to the story, but also as a symbolic end to their journey.

“I looked at my best friend and gave our last ever line on stage, which is, ‘you’re a good man, Charlie Brown,’” said Byrd.