It is month three of intense rehearsal at Saratoga High School, where students are preparing to put on their fall play, The Crucible. The students have performed in 18 rehearsals per month to prepare for the five-show run that began Nov. 14. For several reasons, it is the first time in many years that the school has produced a drama. Bold sets, high emotional intensity—including moments of sheer anger and fright—and lengthy dialogue are the trademarks of drama, and particularly Arthur Miller's 1953 play concerning the Salem, Mass., witch trials.

This will be Woods' fifth year at Saratoga High School. She began as a drama teacher with one class, but she soon became the school's fine arts chairperson, theater director and four-level drama teacher. She has been waiting several years to put on The Crucible.

"I think this is a good time, in terms of the world, for a more serious play," she says.

Woods has a sharp sense of awareness and reserved demeanor. She tempers explanations of her achievements and interests but is straightforward and ready to provide credit where credit is due—especially with her students, who flock to her in search of constructive critique after their intense, continuous rehearsals.

In a profession traditionally characterized by egoism and dramatic flair, Woods is somewhat of an anomaly. Her students are quick to mention her patience ("More than I would have with actors," one student said) and calmness. These qualities do not go unnoticed by the faculty or administration, either.

"It is always about the kids—not her directing, not her work," says Principal Kevin Skelly. "She has a great, calm sense about what she's doing."

"She is a very calm and collected person," says English instructor and department chair Kerri Mohnike. "And in a drama program, that serves the students very well."

Woods, who has directed numerous works in the Bay Area and previously taught at San José State University, enjoys the high school level because, she says, it offers the opportunity to build and expand more comfortably than at the college level.

And build she has. Woods joined the high school because she saw both the potential for growth and permanency, something that can be difficult to find at the university level.

"I wanted to have some stability and to be able to build on a program. My goal when I came here was to build the drama program, and that is what they seemed to want, so it fit together," Woods says. "I've had good administrative support, and the community has been great. I love it."

Over the course of the past five years, Woods has turned the drama program into a multifaceted program that offers four levels of drama class, theater production and an honors drama class, in which qualified students can produce an entire play by themselves.

"I do think our offering the student production is somewhat unique," Woods says. "I don't believe many high schools allow their students to do a full-length production. Doing their own program allows them to do amazing, wonderful things. I can sit back and watch while they take on things. It would just be boring for me to direct all the time."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Technical crew members receive instruction from Kathleen Woods concerning the placement and movement of set pieces for Saratoga High School's production of 'The Crucible.' Woods, as well as a professional set designer, helped the students design the somber set.

Woods first had the students—35 were selected out of the more than 50 who auditioned—read and reread the text, questioning the nature of the characters' relationships and motives. Stressing the importance of depth and motivation, Woods then had students write down a secret the character would have, which is one of her favorite exercises. There were also multiple group activities and fun "buddy" sessions.

For a technical push, she put coat hangers in the boy's jackets to work on posture and brought in professionals to help sketch out ideas for design and production.

"Everything in this play is out of the ordinary," Woods says, "so to capture a sense of the extraordinary while keeping it real and different—that is a challenge."

The challenge becomes especially difficult with 35 actors. "It is fun to act as a group, but with large casts it is more important to encourage activities. It is easy for students to get lost in the shuffle. It is important for them to know that every role in the play matters."

Photograph by George Sakkestad Kathleen Woods instructs tech helper Katie Nakaji on the application of makeup for John Friedman's aged character of Reverend Parris in the play 'The Crucible.'

"The great thing about teens is that they naturally bring an emotional intensity to the stage, and if they can carry that, if they can bring that to the stage, it works very well," Woods says.

Woods grew up on the East Coast, both in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. She was naturally drawn to performance and began dancing at age 5. But it was at age 11 that Woods recognized the true grandness of the stage. She saw Debbie Reynolds star in Richard Morris' The Unsinkable Molly Brown and knew that she "definitely wanted to be up onstage; it was a life-defining moment," Woods says. However, her school did not provide theater classes, so she continued dancing and began choir.

It was not until college that Woods finally got the chance to indulge the acting bug that had been waiting dormant for so many years.

Setting her sights specifically on theater, Woods choose the small, all-female Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Ga., where she subsequently "learned everything about theater—acting, directing, set design."

At that time, most of Woods' attention was focused on acting. She began with small parts in college plays and slowly worked up to larger roles. "I always loved it. Theater arts was probably a risky choice to major in, but for me it paid off."

After college, Woods did not do the typical "actor thing" of going off to New York to pursue theater. Instead, she stayed local, where she continued acting and got an agent. However that "didn't fit," Woods says, and so she diverted her focus to directing.

"I knew it wasn't in me to pursue acting because I wanted a family in the future," says Woods. It was also because she "just didn't have that drive" that was needed to travel across the country, performing nightly.

Woods did act occasionally but pursued directing more fervently, continuing in Atlanta and then in Florida.

In her late 20s, Woods' plan for a family came to fruition when she met her future husband. She moved to his home state of Washington, and they had two children. "Theater, as a profession, is just not compatible with raising children," Woods says. "I don't think it's possible. To be at that next level of directing, you need to be free to travel. It's a personal choice, and I really wanted a family."

While in Washington, Woods decided to pursue a teaching credential and received her diploma from Seattle University. She spent four years teaching theater at a high school in Auburn, where she was able to watch and encourage the expansion of the theater program. The school had recently finished construction of a state-of-the-art theater building, which afforded more student and community theater classes, something she hopes will happen when Saratoga High is finally able to construct its envisioned theater center.

"I think once we build the center, the community will go nuts," she says. "With a professional atmosphere, the students step up their performance and you are able to bring more talent into the program and community, which then offers more talent going out into the community."

After her time in Washington, Woods moved to the Bay Area, where she enrolled at San José State University and subsequently completed a master's degree in performance with an emphasis in directing. She then worked for San José State, doing some performance and touring on a small scale.

Although Woods is content to teach theater, she is open to the idea of going back to full-time theater production. "Maybe when my kids are grown up," Woods muses. But for now, she is still completely focused on her Saratoga students and occasionally works in professional theater on the side.

"I never get tired of theater," Woods says. "There are so many things to learn and so many ways to be creative."

Shakespeare is one of Woods' greatest theatrical passions. "I have such great dreams when I'm directing Shakespeare," she says. "I love that. It is so rich, I think it just naturally connects with a part of my brain that is creative."

Woods has not done Shakespeare at Saratoga High, but she eagerly anticipates the right time and cast to produce Romeo and Juliet.

When speaking about theater, Woods becomes both animated and lost in thought. There are almost too many good plays for her to think of, but she is able to conjure up several titles that top her lists. She names Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart as an all-time favorite. Moliere, the focus of Woods' master thesis, is also "great." The British comedy Noises Off! by Michael Frayn, which was the first production Woods directed at Saratoga High, was probably the "most fun production we've ever done here," she says. Lucy Simon's musical adaptation of The Secret Garden and Les Misérables also are also top choices.

Although Woods can see herself moving into professional directing in the future, she appears to have no reservations about teaching high school actors presently.

"In high school, the students do more than most people are aware of," Woods says. "They are really open and receptive in a way that isn't quite the same, even when they hit college. Their technical skills may not be at the college level, but there is a vibrancy and a willingness that carries them in the long run."

The Crucible is intended for audiences 12 years and older due to its theatrical content. Performances will be held Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students, and can be purchased through the school activities office (408.867.3411, ext. 203). All performances will be held in the Saratoga High School Little Theater.