Typically only students interested in acting or being on the tech crew participate in the One Act Play process, but this year senior AP 3D Art student Grant Woodruff is offering a helping hand in Waving Goodbye.

The play focuses a lot on art, particularly sculpture, Woodruff’s expertise. One of the lead characters, Amanda (senior Haley Brown) sculpts the arms of her husband, Jonathan (senior Ben Meaders) and later on in the production, the sculpture is broken. Woodruff will make the sculpture and is also helping out with the artwork featured in the production.

“A few years ago in theatre one we were required to make a scale model set design for Waving Goodbye and I sculpted a scale model of a hand, to which Ms. Brewster flipped out and admired wholeheartedly,” Woodruff said. “Ever since then she has come to me with anything art related and coincidentally she needed someone with sculpting or moldmaking knowledge which I amassed the skills for both over the tinkering around, so it turns out, oddly enough, I am a perfect fit for the job.”

In addition to being an art student, Woodruff is currently a member of technical director John Davenport’s Advanced Tech Theatre class. During that class period, Woodruff focuses primarily on helping out with Waving Goodbye.

“As far as balancing tech and the show as well as my art class goes, it has been mostly a breeze,” Woodruff said. “I can keep my art and work for the play separate mentally. In general, however, I have actually been having a wonderful time exploring moldmaking yet again after a several year hiatus. This is the first time that I feel as if I am actually doing art for something other than fun. It requires more out of me, but I enjoy it all the same.”

The mold will be made from senior and fellow Advanced Tech Theatre student Max Gresham’s arms. It takes around five minutes to create the mold. Multiple castings of the mold will then be made because the sculpture must shatter during each live performance and competition.

“We are excited and honored to have such a talented young man help us make our show beautiful,” Davenport said. “We’re really lucky.”