After a Long Fight, the Theater Department is Back at Walls

Image of Closing Night, full cast, Ensemble, and Stage Band (top) and image of Cast A performing (bottom) / Via Avajane Lei

After a prolonged battle against budget cuts, the theater department at Walls is back in action. Last year, students rallied against a decision to slash the department's budget by $235,210, which would have led to the elimination of the entire program, including the theater teacher position. Thanks to the testimonies of about 30 students at the DC budget hearing, their efforts were successful, and the department has been restored.

Lea Zaslavsky, who served as the theater teacher at Walls for seven years, made the difficult decision to leave for Duke Ellington after the initial budget cuts. “I’ve enjoyed my first 4 weeks at Duke meeting students with strong passions for creating and performing, but I still love my Walls students,” she recently shared.

During her time at Walls, Ms. Zaslavsky had many memorable experiences, including the production of Cinderella, the first show after the pandemic. She noted, “It was then that I felt as if we really had a community that supported the work we […] were doing in the performing arts department.”

Ms. Zaslavsky contributed significantly to the school, teaching theater classes and leading the drama club for several years. Maharani Yogi ('25), a former student, recalled, “Theater wasn’t really my favorite topic, but I liked the teacher.” Yogi described the theater class as “very involved.” Ms. Zaslavsky’s guidance allowed students to express themselves beyond traditional classroom settings.

Her main goal was to provide an outlet for students to explore their creativity and build confidence. “I do hope that the theater department I built with my fellow arts colleagues will continue to grow and thrive,” she expressed.

The new theater teacher, Liv Tyndall, has different visions for the program. Mx. Tyndall said, “I think it would be really fun to play around with different alternative modes of theater, like devising and site-specific work... So in my creative drama classes, we're going to work on some of those things.”

They also aim to teach students that theater encompasses much more than just plays and singing. “Essentially the answer we come down to is, really you just need two people—one to watch and one to perform,” Mx. Tyndall explained.

Initially, Liv Tyndall had no interest in theater, being quite shy until their parents enrolled them in a production of High School Musical. They found it psychologically beneficial and discovered a passion for scripted and rehearsed performances.

Before joining Walls, Mx. Tyndall freelanced as a writer, editor, and stage manager. “I was ready to synthesize all of my skills into one avenue, and this, conveniently, was the perfect avenue,” they said about their decision to teach.

Many Walls students struggle to find time for theater amidst homework and other commitments. Mx. Tyndall aims to integrate theater into students’ academic lives. “So I really want to use the theme of School Without Walls in regards to theater,” they shared.

Mx. Tyndall encourages students to join the theater department, emphasizing that participation should be voluntary. They particularly love seeing introverts take the leap to explore new aspects of themselves through performance.