Bennett Durando
Sports Editor
Senior Hannah Leatherbarrow stars with junior Kate Becker in the 2017 spring play, “Rabbit Hole,” a role she calls her favorite ever. Photo by Greg Frazier
Senior Hannah Leatherbarrow takes the stage. Falling into character, she prepares to show the audience the product of her hard work and experience. It’s showtime.
Leatherbarrow’s performances have wowed Webster playgoers for four years. The senior is a leader in Webster Thespian Troupe 191 and has been a dedicated member of the drama program her entire time at WGHS.
She has played memorable lead roles in school plays including “Hamlet” and, this year, “Rabbit Hole.” That role as the character Becca, she says, is her favorite part she’s ever played.
“‘Rabbit Hole’ is a really heavy drama,” Leatherbarrow said, “so I got to really hone in on all the skills I’d acquired and things that I’d learned and put it into practice.”
To Leatherbarrow, those acquired skills in preparation for a role always go a long way when the curtain opens.
“For me, it’s all about the prep, it’s about going through your script and really analyzing the character, developing a backstory for the character, looking at the relationships and the tactics and the objectives,” Leatherbarrow said. “There are all these moving parts, and it’s figuring them out and then using that to enhance your performance. And then when you finally get it done, it’s such a rush to know you put all that work into it.”
That commitment to her roles earned Leatherbarrow a rare recognition within the drama troupe. She will graduate a triple honor Thespian, an accolade given based on involvement in the program’s productions through points. Leatherbarrow is one of just two Class of 2017 seniors to earn the triple honor.
Along with theater, Leatherbarrow also is a part of Webster’s top choir that recently swept all the possible awards in a competition trip to Washington, D.C.
The arts will continue to be a part of Leatherbarrow’s life for a long time to come; she plans to either major-minor or double-major in two of her great passions, theater and English, at the University of Minnesota.
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