BHS welcomed back alumni Peter Bowley this January as the Drama Club’s new Director. Bowley has chosen “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” as his first musical.

The show is based on Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” comics of the same name. “It’s a very sweet, very wholesome musical that follows the main ‘Peanuts’ characters,” Bowley said. “We chose it because I wanted to do a first show that was more ensemble based and collaborative. I wanted to do something that was family-friendly, so that more people in the community could get engaged and realize like, ‘oh, the BHS Drama program is back up.’”

Bowley intends on promoting the musical to local libraries and schools to open the audience up to more people.

“Kids of any age can come to the show, which I think is great,” Bowley said. “And despite the fact that it is kid-friendly, it also has a lot of depth to it. I think something that made the work of Charles Schultz so popular and made it last so long was just how relatable these characters are. They’re really funny and they say things that you would expect an adult to say versus a kid. I think a lot of it is super relatable.”

Bowley, who graduated in 2015, was an active member of the BHS Drama Club and went on to study acting at New York University before returning to Vermont.

“When I was a student the drama club was everything to me,” Bowley said. “I did as many plays as I possibly could. I always did the musical and the one-act and the three-act. Drama Club for me was a place where I could walk into the auditorium and leave everything else behind.”

Upon hearing that the role of director had opened up, Bowley seized the opportunity.

“The Drama Club was really important to me, and I think it’s really important to the school, and really important to the community, which is why I have chosen to revive it,” Bowley said.

Bowley believes that the BHS Drama program is known for its high-quality productions.

“It was sort of the kind of place where it was like, wow, I can’t believe these are high schoolers. That was often the reception to their shows, so much so that when I was thinking about auditioning, I was really intimidated. But then, you know, I realized that it’s also a super welcoming space, and no one’s cut from the musicals. So I decided to do it, and am obviously very glad I did.”

Bowley hopes to create a drama program that is as welcoming as it is impressive.

“I want…that level of quality and creativity in the material we make,” Bowley said. “I also want it to be an environment where everyone can feel safe and have fun, regardless of everything.”

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” will perform on the first weekend of May, with a cast of nine.

“We want [the cast] to have fun and make something really great, and those are the two elements that I would say have been at the forefront of my mind,” Bowley concluded. “I want to make theater that we can be proud of and have fun doing.”