New Director, New Era, New Brilliance
With such a rich legacy, the question for this year was clear: who would step up to carry the torch and guide the Philelectic Society toward continued success? Enter Mr. Patrick Cragin, Class of 2006
The Jesuit Philelectic Society, the oldest extracurricular organization at Jesuit High School, has long been a cornerstone of student life and creativity. For decades, it has brought to life countless productions, from classic plays like Guys and Dolls to performances in improv comedy and radio theater. With such a rich legacy, the question for this year was clear: who would step up to carry the torch and guide the Philelectic Society toward continued success?
Enter Mr. Patrick Cragin, Class of 2006.
Mr. Cragin has all the experience needed to be the right man for the job. He started his acting career at Jesuit, before going to the Catholic University of America, where he got a bachelor’s degree in music and musical theater. During this time, he was also involved in regional theater, which is a professional or semi-professional theater company that produces its own seasons, and this gave him the opportunity to gain experience and learn from many great New York actors. After this, Mr. Cragin went on to tour the United States as Kenickie in Grease. For the past ten years, he has been working on film and television, while still doing regional theater. The most recent play he was in was Anything Goes as Billy at Tulane Summer Lyric Theater.
Mr. Cragin has the experience, he has put it to good use because he has been phenomenal! In the six weeks of school we have had so far, he has been able to stage almost half of his first play as a director here: The World Goes Round!
“Wait, what’s that?” So many people have asked, including me. Everyone knows a handful of famous plays, the regular go-to’s for high school theater, but this play is quite unknown and under-appreciated. The World Goes Round is a musical revue featuring various song and dance numbers from shows like Chicago and New York, New York. It’s a collection of different performances rather than a traditional narrative play. If the play is unknown why did Mr. Cragin choose this one among all other plays out there, and how did he come across it? Well, the answer is quite a unique story! One night, as Mr. Cragin lay in his bed, sleeping soundly, he had a dream...
Mr. Reuther, principal of Jesuit, came up to Mr. Cragin and wordlessly handed him a piece of paper, then walked away. Mr. Cragin, confused, looked at the sheet of loose-leaf in his hands. The paper read: “Number One - Sometimes... Number Two - Newsies.”
Mr. Cragin woke with a start, with the feeling of elation and, finally, confidence.
So Mr. Cragin knew that he was going to do Newsies in the spring, and he remembered that there was a song he knew called “Sometimes a Day Goes By.” So, he researched the song to see what play it was in and came across The World Goes Round. The more he looked through the play, the more he fell in love with it, and knew it was the perfect play to learn his philosophy on acting, dancing and singing.
I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Cragin, and I asked him what his goals were for the Philelectic Society, short and long term. He told me, “My main goal for the Phils this year is to fill the seats – every single seat filled for all of our shows... I want the seats filled – P-H-I-L-L-E-D!” His long-term goal is for the Philelectic Society to be the best theater program in the city. He thought that that was not a hard goal because, “the talent and student engagement and passion behind it is there, we just need to go there and become what we know we can become.” He added that, because he went to Jesuit, and ran cross country, he is competitive and finds it fun to try to be “The Best,” so he thinks the Phils have the potential to be the best theater program in the country!
Mr. Cragin, because of his experience, has the potential to be one of Jesuit’s best Philelectic Society directors of all time, and he believes that all of us, even those who aren’t currently performing, have the potential to be the future for a new era of the Philelectic Society!
His message to each and every one of you is this: “Come see The World Goes Round November 14 – 16 because you’ll see all of what I have said here – you’ll see it come to fruition!”
To keep track of the Phils or to learn more about Mr. Cragin, follow them on Instagram @jhsphils.