St. Mark’s and Hockaday students showcased their talents in “Guys and Dolls” Nov. 8-10. The event brought waves of excitement, as students came together to deliver a captivating performance of the musical.

Among the standout performances, senior Daniel Deng was especially notable, taking on the lead role of Nathan Detroit, a gambler known for his humorous and entertaining antics. For Deng, portraying a character with a personality completely opposite of his own was an invaluable learning experience.

“Playing Nathan Detroit has really forced me to act, because it’s not who I am, and it’s really taught me more about the true meaning of actually being an actor in theater,” Deng said. “I don’t think any role I’ve ever done has really forced me to do that. I think that’s really prepared me to take on similarly different roles in the future.”

For Deng, the months of dedication and rehearsals with fellow actors fostered a strong sense of camaraderie through their shared passion for theater.

“We’re collectively referred to as theater kids, but it’s really like a theater family,” Deng said. “I don’t think you’re going to find a tight-knit community like that anywhere else except sports.”

The success of the play wasn’t just in the actors’ individual performances, but in the collective effort of the entire cast and crew which all resulted in the final production.

“I really do think it’s rewarding to see a large crowd of people give you a standing ovation for something that you worked so hard to prepare for,” Deng said. “And it’s inspiring to others, and hopefully more kids will see this and decide to do theater, because that’s how I got into it.”