Mill Creek students
It was a “friendly civil war” when theater troupes from two Gwinnett high schools— Brookwood HS and Mill Creek HS— squared off in the GHSA One-Act Play finals to determine the state’s top high school theater troupe. To make it even more interesting, let’s add in a little sibling rivalry.
That’s right… The theater directors at Brookwood and Mill Creek are sisters! Laura Lindahl teaches and directs students at Brookwood and Sarah Lindahl leads the Mill Creek program. The two come from a strong theater lineage, as they are the daughters of Ken and Patty Lindahl who served as theater directors at Brookwood for 30 years before retiring in 2013. (The elder Lindahls were honored last school year when the school’s theater was dedicated as the Ken and Patty Lindahl Performing Arts Center in recognition of their contributions, including the production of more than 200 plays and musicals.)
Back to that rivalry… Well, the results are in. At the next family get-together, Laura will have bragging rights as Brookwood placed 2nd in the state competition, edging out Mill Creek’s team, which took 3rd place.
Any “rivalry” aside, Laura says being in the same profession as her sister and parents has been “so natural and comfortable.” She says, “Theatre was a family affair from birth. It's so great to have people I love and respect with whom I can collaborate, seek advice, and simply share stories and ideas.”
Her sister has known she wanted to teach theater since she was a young child watching her parents direct their Brookwood students. Sarah says she’s thankful “to be able to do something that brought such joy to my childhood and to countless students” and to share that profession with her family. She adds, “Theatre is a family and I am so happy to be following in my parents footsteps.”
The casts from Brookwood (Region 7AAAAAAA) and Mill Creek (Region 6AAAAAAA) both won their respective One-Act Play Region Championships before advancing to the state finals.
“The Drowsy Chaperone,” a parody of American musical comedy from the 1920s, was Brookwood’s musical theater entry in the contest, while Mill Creek’s offering, “Rabbit Hole,” is a show with both comic and tragic elements, dealing with how members of a family deal with a major loss.