backstage baddie

Drama teacher Maggie Killian has many more amazing careers than your average teacher.

BY CLAIRE BOMA EDITORIALS EDITOR

There are plenty of perks to working a traditional nine to five, but for Theater Tech teacher Maggie Killian, an office job is not the way to go. Instead, she pursues a plethora of careers in the world of performance and theater.

“I have always known I’ve wanted to teach theater, but when I got to college, I realized having a degree in theater education is a bit limiting,” Killian said. “A lot of theater teachers end up teaching a theater class as well as another class like English, which I knew wasn’t something I wanted to do.”

Her life was forever changed when she took her first technical theater class, where she realized her passion was not just performing, but working with her hands behind the scenes.

“Initially after college, I used my degree to work for private theater companies both in performance and in tech,” she said. “My degree is in technical theater, but I was trained as a performer in my childhood so I floated back and forth between the two.”

She continues to balance a variety of jobs in both performance and technical theater. Her jobs include puppeteering, character acting, mascoting, scenic painting, modeling and teaching at Sion. She also has a website where she sells her art and promotes her work.

“The benefit of such a diverse lifestyle is that I’m never bored,” Killian said. “I thrive on being able to do all the different gigs.”

A life in the arts is not always fun and games. Jobs often don’t last very long, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, most theaters and performance groups shut down, putting many, like Killian, out of work.

“The biggest disadvantage in creative fields is that you will always be hustling and you might be poor,” Killian said.

Despite the challenges that come with working in the arts, Killian is constantly looking towards the future with a positive attitude.

“Mrs. Killian is so passionate about what she does, it really rubs off on you and makes you happy,” junior Hannah Lange said.

In the six years Killian has worked for Sion, her creative influence has significantly bolstered the fine arts department. Killian’s outside experience brings many new and innovative ideas to Sion Theater. Her creative set and costume designs, as well as her invaluable acting advice, truly pull Sion’s productions together.

“Creativity breeds creativity. If I’m doing a performance gig, it might inspire me for something else,” she said. “If I see something that someone else has designed or that I worked on on a set, I might think that it would be advantageous to use it here at Sion.” Her dedication to teaching and Sion’s productions makes her a favorite among students, and inspires many young women to follow their dreams.

“The Sion theater community, and Sion in general, would be at a loss without her,” senior Lauren Millard said.