Desmond Middle School student wrote and is now directing school play

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Madera middle school students are taking creative control of their upcoming play.

This year it is written, directed and performed by students.

Opening night is just around the corner for students at James G. Desmond Middle School in Madera.

The group rehearses daily after school and prepares for their performances in a play called "An Original."

Leading the way is eighth-grade student Eliana Cantu.

The drama class launched at Desmond last year.

Eliana joined and landed the lead role in Troy.

"Theater really runs in my family, like everyone is involved with it," Eliana said.

With the creative blood flowing through her veins, she knew this year she wanted to do more.

She studied and started to put together a shortened version of The Lion King, but licensing prevented the group from actually performing it.

So she came up with the next best thing.

"So I was like, 'Wait a minute. What if I just come up with my own?'" Eliana said.

And she did.

Then she gave a copy of the script to her drama teacher Marcus Salazar.

"When she wrote it and she gave it to me before winter break, I was like blown away. I was like, 'You know what? This is perfect. This is what we're going to roll with right here.'" Salazar said.

Appropriately titled "An Original", the play follows the life of a teenage girl who excels at school but then starts to struggle with a particular assignment.

The audience will follow along as the young girl works to get help with the assignment while realizing her natural smarts may not be good enough anymore.

Eliana is stepping into a new role this year switching from actor to director.

"It's so freeing to have that freedom to move people around the stage, like put people where I want," Eliana said.

Salazar said it's been fun to watch Eliana lead and see all of the other students take control of their roles.

"When you see students love what we do here at Desmond and you see them thriving, it's really inspiring. It makes me want to work harder," Salazar said.

Eliana is looking forward to showing off all of the students' hard work very soon.

"It will be, I think, everything I think I've ever dreamed of because, like, being able to bring something to life and having people enjoy it, I think is what the arts are all about," Eliana said.

You can check out Eliana's play on opening night on May 10 at Torres High School. Admission is free.

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