![Sophomore Lily Bell posing as a player in the senior assassin game. Seniors participating in the game eliminate others by squirting them with a water gun, and can wear goggles for immunity against others. “People did have to go out and buy [water] guns, but most people have the googles at home, but you don’t even have to use a gun, you can use water of any sort,” senior Gwyn Christensen said.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-1-1-900x1200.jpg)
![The shadows against a captivating blue are a nod to the “Catch Me If You Can” musical poster, both for this performance and the blue from the Broadway show. The detectives in this scene are at shooting practice, in preparation for when they finally encounter Frank Abagnale Jr. “We always say our motto is ‘theater is a team sport,’ and really just emphasizing to our students that everyone is welcome in the drama department. There's always a role for you, whether or not, on stage or behind the scenes, in the costume shop, in the scene shop. [There are] all sorts of different things that go into bringing a show to life. So we love our drama hawks and welcome everyone to drama,” Drama Director Mollie Jo Blahunka said.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/cmiyc-1200x800.jpg)
![Henry, Emily (2021). People we meet on vacation [Book cover]. Berkley Books. Image used under fair use for purposes of commentary and review. Haley, Brett (2026). People we meet on vacation [Movie poster]. Movie poster courtesy of 3000 Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment. Made by Adilyn Hoop using Canva.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/vacay1.png)
![Lockhart, E. (2025). We fell apart [Book cover]. Delacorte Press. Image used under fair use for purposes of commentary and review. The newest book in the “We were liars” collection was released Nov. 4.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wefell1.png)
![A Group of PEOPEL PE students and helpers set up an obstacle course during class. The “Amazing Race” unit had started in PEOPEL PE where the students and helpers got to compete in a variety of different activities and games. “We try our best to make [inclusion] a school-wide event, but it's just so much more different when you actually engage with the students hands-on and actually get to know them as people.” Sophomore Bree Christensen said. Photo Taken by Ada McNulty.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-12-1200x900.jpg)
Every year, Ankeny High School’s (AHS) drama department puts on a fall play for the community. Every evening for months, the lights hit the stage of the auditorium, and student actors take the spotlight. They practice and prepare, all to put on a show worthy of our school. The stars are celebrated, but it takes more than just good actors to put on a great show. It takes a crew, and that crew needs a leader.
“She is one of the backbones of the entire show,” AHS junior and member of the drama department, Ellinah Repp, said. “She keeps track of everybody and what we’re supposed to be doing.”
A helping hand
Masters joined the AHS drama department in 2024, and the department has only ever benefited from her membership. Her assistance and leadership, her willingness to go above and beyond, have left an impression on those around her.
“Rissa’s all over. She can help with props. She can help with hair and makeup. She can help with costumes. She can help with publicity, front of the house, set moving, set pieces. So I think that’s something you want to have, is someone that can be all around to help,” Terrace Learning Center teacher and AHS assistant drama director, Patrick Joseph (PJ) Hurley, said. “Nothing scares her. She’s ready.”
There are reportedly over 100 members in the drama department, with crews like set, publicity, tech, props, costumes, and so many more. It is a lot to keep track of and a lot to manage, yet Masters does it, and does it well.
“If you see something on that stage, there has been at some point where I probably have helped with it. If it’s getting dropped, if it’s getting put on the stage, we most likely help with that,” Masters said.
And it’s not just the production that she’s left her mark on. It’s the people.
“She’s very kind, caring. She will be there for anyone,” senior and publicity crew head, Chloe Bunnell, said. “Even if she is stressed, she will help, even if it’s like, give me a second, and then she’ll come help you, but she won’t leave you in the dust.”
Every year, when seniors leave, there are shoes that need filling in the drama department, so this year, when it came time to choose an assistant stage manager, the choice was obvious.
“This year we made her an assistant stage manager, like I said, she’s just going up the chain, and it wouldn’t surprise me, she’ll be stage manager. She’s just everywhere and really helpful,” Hurley said.
“Because she sees the vision, she can do a lot of things.”
Life without the legend
Masters is an important part of the show, but without her, the show must go on, right? Wrong.
“Without Rissa there to be a mediator, it would kind of be hectic,” Bunnel said.“Everybody, not knowing what to do, things not getting done because she’s not there.”
And it’s not just the students who share this sentiment. When Masters is around, the directors can do what they need to do, direct.
“[Without Rissa] I’d be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, because I would be constantly painting something and getting interrupted, sewing something interrupted, trying to talk to another student,” Hurley said.
The beginning of a legacy
Everyone starts somewhere, and for Masters, that was Southview Middle School’s production of “Paper or Plastic.”
“I started at Southview my ninth-grade year. I was stage manager, and I really enjoyed it there. When I got to high school, I decided to do costume crew,” Masters said.
The costume crew was grateful to have her, but they couldn’t contain her. Finding more and more ways to help is simply a part of who Rissa Masters is.
“Overall, I just took my first year getting to know people, getting comfortable in the program, helping people wherever I could, running around,” Masters said. “A lot of people stick to their one thing, but that’s not usually what I did. I would prioritize getting my work done, and I’d get it done fast, and then I’d immediately move to helping the next person.”
The directors took notice of this immediately, appreciating the work ethic and attitude she brought with her.
“She came on and just was gun-ho about helping, [she] wanted to do a lot of things. Was over on set. And then on the days that it was a costume crew, she came over here,” Hurley said.
She may only be a junior, but the work Masters puts in is seemingly undeniable, and the unwavering helpfulness under the immense pressure of one of Ankeny’s largest productions, as well as the first understudy cast, proves she’s the right person for the job. The drama department appears to have struck gold with Rissa Masters, who apparently has only ever made the drama department a better place and the production a better show.
“This year. It’s been a little hectic. It’s been a little everywhere. It’s been a lot of painting. It’s been a lot of trying to figure out what transitions are going where. But overall, we’ve grown as a program,” Masters said.
