A query from a former drama kid: Why should a young person participate in theatre? The applause? Yes, affirmation always welcome. The cultivation of talent that might produce the next Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks? Anything’s possible. Or perhaps the simple, vital “chance to dream”? Indeed.
Yet the greatest rewards often emerge regardless of where life beyond the stage leads a young thespian. Just ask Mira Costa High School theatre teacher and director Jonathan Westerberg.
“I love hearing how students go into biotech, real estate, education, the trades—whatever—after coming through our program,” he says. “Working in theatre checks all the educational and developmental boxes. Everything we do is collaborative, high stakes, rigorous, and project- and deadline-driven, culminating in a product that brings thousands of people from our community together. It’s an optimal learning environment with skills that transfer to any occupation, industry or endeavor. Students learn how to succeed and fail, how to problem-solve and collaborate, and how to create something new and meaningful from scratch.”
Jonathan experienced this developmental process firsthand. Growing up on a ranch outside Sacramento, he attended a Jesuit high school—much like Loyola here in Los Angeles. An athlete and musician for most of his school career, he found his spring semester unexpectedly open after deciding not to run track. A teacher and mentor suggested he audition for the play he would be directing, Ten November by Steven Dietz.
“Working in theatre checks all the educational and developmental boxes.”
“That was a pivotal moment for me,” Jonathan recalls. “I entered UCSB as a psychology major. But one day while riding my bike onto campus, I found myself in the theatre and dance complex and snuck into an afternoon rehearsal for one of the program’s mainstage productions. I watched for about an hour and knew at that moment that I wanted to take this new thing I had discovered at the very end of high school to the next level.”
Jonathan graduated with a double major in dramatic arts and literature and soon after moved to Los Angeles, where he connected with Circle X Theatre Co., a newly formed ensemble founded by Penn State and UC Santa Barbara alumni. He quickly became the company’s literary director and eventually its co-producing artistic director.
Knowing that a long-term career in nonprofit theatre would not be financially sustainable, Jonathan simultaneously pursued education. In 1999, a part-time English teaching position opened at Mira Costa.
“Working in both worlds in the early years was tough,” he remembers. “I was up very early, commuting to Manhattan Beach to teach, then spending afternoons and late evenings in Hollywood rehearsals. Many of my theatre colleagues were working in industries that were more schedule-friendly, but I knew that education was where I ultimately wanted to land.”
The schedule suited him at the time, allowing him to finish classes by lunch and head back to the theatre. Hired on an emergency permit, Jonathan spent his first few years teaching while completing coursework at Cal State LA to earn his single-subject teaching credential.
Two decades later, still at Mira Costa, Jonathan took over the theatre program when the former drama teacher retired. Today he teaches three levels of drama—beginning, intermediate and advanced—along with the Play Production course that encompasses the school’s fall and spring shows. He also advises numerous programs and events, including charity benefits, senior directing theses (Senior Scenes), improv and drama/tech clubs.
About a year into his new role, the unimaginable happened. Midway through rehearsals for the spring production of Into the Woods, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.
“When I released students for break, I didn’t realize we would never return to the show,” he says. “It was heartbreaking—we lost so much hard work.”
A year later, once students and staff returned, the program mounted Beauty and the Beast. “We had a successful first weekend of performances, but then the second wave of COVID hit. Around 20 people—including myself—got knocked out, and we had to cancel the second weekend. These are things you can never fully prepare for.”
Despite the setbacks, Jonathan and his team rebuilt the program to pre-pandemic levels. He’s quick to emphasize that he didn’t do it alone.
“Everything I do is hand-in-glove with my colleague and ComedySportz advisor and assistant director Maddie Hutchinson; Cary Jordahl, our technical theatre teacher; my co-producer Kathie Papera; a team of production professionals and artists we bring in for every show; and an incredible group of booster parents led by our president, Kelly Gordon,” he says. “With all of this support, we’re able to mount high-quality work and give students a truly professional experience.”
Next up, Jonathan will direct the hit musical Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey and based on her film. With the spring production approaching, he knows his time will soon be at a premium.
“My wife can attest that there really is no break,” he laughs. “If I’m not in rehearsal, I’m still holding production meetings—either in real time or in my head. Summers are spent prepping for classes and the upcoming season. That said, I’m incredibly lucky to work as an artist and educator in a community this passionate and supportive—and to have the salary and health care that come with it.”
And what of the students who spend their formative years onstage, just as Jonathan once did? “Most of my students are with me for all four years of high school,” he says. “I get to know them in a meaningful, personal way, and we build connections that last well beyond graduation. I love staying in touch with alumni and following their lives. I don’t mean to sound like a brochure for the arts, but I truly believe some of the best educational outcomes happen in the work we do.”
