A mere three days after the performance of Inherit the Wind, director Brian Parrish was told by the administration that he no longer had his job. “It was a complete shock for me,” Parrish said. “The administration had pulled me off of directing the upcoming musical before that, but I thought I would get done with Inherit the Wind and then be able to concentrate on preparing for the spring play.” When drama members found out Parrish was fired, they were similarly bewildered. Some went directly to Mr. McGrory in order to confirm that the rumors they were hearing were true. “A lot of anger and surprise came about as a result of Brian’s firing,” said senior Laura King, president of the AHS Thespians Club. “Everyone loved Brian. He has a lot of talent for directing.” Parrish’s first real experience with acting was during his freshman year of high school, when he acted in The Taming of the Shrew. Quite simply, he fell in love with theater. Two years ago he applied and got the job of assistant drama director at Ames High School. Before that, he already had experience directing at ACTORS (Ames Community Theater of Recreational Services). Now Parrish has directed a total of ten plays, seven of them at Ames High. The last play he directed was Inherit the Wind. “It turned out fantastic,” Parrish said. “The actors were just amazing. They did everything I wanted them to do.” After such a spectacular success, Parrish was all the more taken aback at the administration’s decision. However, they had no problem with Parrish’s directing. Instead, according to Parrish, they didn’t think he communicated in a timely fashion concerning the auditorium, which he was in charge of. “While my firing was questionable, I do understand the administration has to deal with all the departments in the school,” said Parrish. “There is most likely more information than I am aware of regarding my firing. However, I would have liked to be able to talk more with them.” Mr. McGrory did not comment. As for the future, Parrish plans to continue working his graveyard shift at Kum-and-Go. He also plans to continue participating at ACTORS and perhaps do some more directing elsewhere. In addition, he is considering going to college for either acting or directing, and might eventually move to California or New York to pursue his career. The future of AHS’ theater department remains a bit shaky. Mr. Schmidt will direct the musical, but as of now, the spring play may or may not be held. “We all remember Brian as a great guy and a great director,” King said, “but we will have to move on and keep going.”