F&M Stories
F&M Players Provides Creative Outlet for Students
For Lena Bell ’25 and Leah Sirota ’27, participating in the student-led production of “Into the Woods” allows them to explore their passion for theatre while completing majors in the sciences.
Bell and Sirota are members of F&M Players, a student-run musical theatre organization, and co-directors of the show, which runs Jan. 16-18 in the Roschel Performing Arts Center.
They spent the fall semester selecting a show, putting together a production team, holding auditions, and leading rehearsals five days a week.
Students who are participating in the production returned early from winter break for a week of all-day rehearsals before classes started so they are ready to perform during the first week of the spring semester.
Although neither are theatre majors, Sirota and Bell are both passionate about musical theatre and wanted it to be a part of their F&M experience.
Sirota is a cognitive science major but said musical theatre has always been an important creative outlet that brings her joy. “I’ve been performing since I was six years old. I’ve never in my life not been doing musical theatre.”
During her first semester on campus, Sirota met the director of “Heathers,” F&M Players’ 2024 production. Sirota mentioned that she’d been a stage manager for shows in high school and learned that F&M Players needed a stage manager for their upcoming show.
“So for my first show in college, I was the stage manager, and then later that semester, I was elected secretary of F&M Players,” Sirota said. She’s now the incoming president of the club, as well as co-director for “Into the Woods.”
Bell, an environmental studies major, said she arrived on campus mainly focused on her participation in track & field and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Like Sirota, she’d been a part of theatre productions in high school, and she wanted a chance to get involved with musical theatre at F&M before graduating.
“I’m involved with a lot of different things on campus, but I knew that I wanted to somehow get involved with theatre in my four years,” Bell said.
She’d been a student director for a show in high school, so when she learned that F&M Players was looking for another director for their upcoming show, she decided it was the perfect opportunity to get involved.
In addition to creative expression, Sirota and Bell said that involvement with F&M Players has helped them both find community on campus and gain new skills.
“It’s a whole new community of people that I didn’t think I would ever be connecting with,” Bell said.
“This has taught me a lot about how to be a leader that I didn’t necessarily have the opportunity to learn at any other point in my life,” Sirota said.
Tickets to the F&M Players production of “Into the Woods” are available through the F&M Box Office.
Related Articles
May 6, 2025
‘You’re in a Place Where Everyone Is Rooting for You’
Shreya Punj ’25 found her time at F&M to be a period of personal growth, fueled by a vibrant campus life that encouraged learning beyond the classroom. “F&M is home to people with diverse experiences and interests,” she said. “Learning from my peers and becoming friends with people who have lived drastically different lives than me has been an enriching experience and contributed significantly to my growth in the last four years.”
April 29, 2025
Academics, Athletics & Adventure: Koa Kaliebe’s F&M Trifecta
At F&M, Koa Kaliebe '25 wasn't just a student-athlete; he was an explorer. While he competed on the Men's Varsity Soccer team, Kaliebe also dove into intramural volleyball and basketball, a custom major in business and environmental studies, and the culinary scene of Lancaster.
April 24, 2025
Michael Vasquez ’25 Found a Campus that Felt Like Home
Michael Vasquez ’25 was drawn to F&M’s liberal arts approach to academics, but it was the sense of community—on and off campus—that sealed the deal when he was deciding where to attend college. "As a first-generation, queer student of color, I was happy to know F&M was committed to ensuring everyone knows they belong," he said.