Lakeside Magazine
“Lakeside Takes the Stage”
In which we peek behind the curtain on an extraordinary drama department directed by Alban Dennis, Michael Place, and Jenny Estill ’06. Also: From New York City to Los Angeles, from acting to designing sets to composing a cappella musicals, an A-List of Lakeside grads take a turn in the spotlight. Two of them (Aidan Cazeau ’20 and Gabriella O’Fallon ’18) are working together for the first time since sharing the stage at Lakeside. That’s them in the photo below. One of the others (Hollywood star Julia Schlaepfer ’13) recalls finding her voice — and her calling — on opening night of the 2013 Lakeside musical, “Anything Goes.” That’s her, as Reno Sweeney, on this issue’s cover.
They both sensed a subtle trust in each other, having come from Lakeside’s theater department, where they had first met.— Aidan Cazeau ’20 (left) and Gabriella O’Fallon ’18 are collaborating on “Sundays,” a series of staged vignettes written by Cazeau.
Elsewhere in the issue
Lakeside was honored with the 2024-2025 Scholastic Cup — perhaps the ultimate measure of a school intent on excellence in both athletics and academics (see pages 10-13). Journalist Benjamin Cassidy reports.
A mini-history lesson on the “Victory Bell” in the Bliss Hall belltower (and the digitized “Westminster Quarters” that ring out across campus today). Audey C. ’28 gives a tour (see page 8).
Photographer John Lok captured a special moment among old friends Barbee Lease ’50 Crutcher and Mary Jane Brown ’50 Anderson, who returned to campus last June for their 75th St. Nicholas/Lakeside reunion (see page 39).
Alumni spotlights include the beautiful, contradictory photography of Sasha Rudensky ’97 (see accompanying image from her recent project, “Channel”); the award-winning investigative reporting of Susie Neilson ’11; and the ethical insights of moral philosopher Alice Crary ’85, one of the world’s foremost experts on human-animal relationships. And we share the citation that honors this year’s recipient of the Lakeside Distinguished Alum Award, environmental attorney Andrea Rodgers ’94 (see pages 46-47).
Contributors
Enterprise reporter Megan Burbank (“Behind the Curtain,” page 16) has written on a wide range of subjects for this magazine, including LEEP, the Middle School’s service-learning trips to the Native reservations of the Olympic Peninsula, and the back story of Head of School Kai Bynum. “I grew up taking drama classes at Seattle Children’s Theatre, where Alban Dennis worked for many years,” she says. “So, this story on Lakeside’s theater department was a treat to report.”
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Commercial/portrait photographer John Lok had a special assistant with him for the session with Barbee Crutcher ’50 and Mary Jane Anderson ’50 (“Class Connections,” page 39): his 17-year-old son, Remy Lok. John writes: “In hopes of sharing my love of photography with my son, I got Remy his first camera, a Fuji X100s, as a Christmas gift in 2023. To my delight, he has become a passionate photographer who crafts artful and soulful landscape and street imagery from everyday scenes.” You can view Remy’s work on Instagram.
Seattle native Michelle Kumata (“Head Note,” page 2) worked as a graphic artist at The Seattle Times for more than a decade and served for a dozen years as exhibit director at Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. Her art ranges from painting to sculpture to graphic design and illustration.
The portraits of Aidan Cazeau ’20 and Gabriella O’Fallon ’18, (above, and on pages 26-27) were shot in New York’s Central Park by Johannes Kroemer, a photographer and documentary filmmaker based in Brooklyn.
More than a dozen students contributed writing and reporting for this issue, including Max C. ’29 (page 29), Timothy D. ’27 (“Class Connections”), and Aicha S. ’27 (pages 23, 27). The three Tatler staff members attended the annual “J Day West” journalism conference in October at Everett Community College, where they accepted an Emerald Award on behalf of the paper, presented by the Washington Journalism Education Association (see page 4).
The theatrical poster for this issue was created by multidisciplinary artist, sculptor, and frequent contributor Fred Birchman. Seattle Met called Birchman a masterful draftsman who is “one of Seattle’s underappreciated talents.”
Editor: Jim Collins
Director of Communications: Amanda Darling
Alum Relations News: Amanda Campbell
Art Director: Carol Nakagawa
Editorial Assistant: Sachi Tambe ’26
Copy Editor: Mark Watanabe
Proof Readers: Judy Bauer, Kathleen Triesch Saul
Spring/Summer 2025 issue writers: Kai Bynum, Brian H. ’28, Audrey C. ’28, Helena B. ’29, Benjamin Cassidy, Leslie Schuyler, Megan Burbank, Julia Schlaepfer ’13, Mesgana A. ’28, Vina V. ’29, Aicha S. ’27, Matthew K. ’28, Annapoorani L. ’29, Ford S. ’29, Max C. ’29, Jim Collins, Amanda Campbell, Jane Ridgeway ’05, Doug Walsh ’72, Emerson K. ’27, Samara N. ’26
Spring/Summer 2025 issue artists and photographers: Fred Birchman, Michelle Kumata, Tom Reese, David O. Smith ’04, Matt Lever, Johannes Kroemer, Erick Ingraham, Chloe Collyer, Katie M. Simmons, Ashly Kirk, Paul Dudley
Lakeside magazine is published twice yearly, in winter and summer, by the communications office of Lakeside School. To view past issues, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement & Support of Education
| 2024 | Independent and International School Alumni Magazines BEST OF CASE DISTRICT VIII |
| 2023 | Independent and International School Alumni Magazines GOLD MEDAL |
| Robert Sibley Magazine of the Year FINALIST |
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| 2022 | Single-Topic Issue, CASE District VIII GOLD MEDAL “Black @ Lakeside” |
Send Us Your News.
Keep in Touch With Your Past — And Your Present
You will never again be a high school student, but you can stay connected with that formative part of your life by sharing memories and news with those people who went through it with you. We’re interested in hearing all your news, big or small — not just impressive or “successful” accomplishments. Tell us about your community lives, chance meetings, recent adventures, new hobbies, new babies(!) — and we’ll print it in soy-based ink on FSC-certified 70# Accent Opaque Text* for all of the Lakeside family to see. Connect with your classmates, including those you’ve thought about over the years but have lost touch with. We’ll tip our cap to you.
Share with us at alum@lakesideschool.org
Our Spring/Summer issue deadline for “Class Connections” and “In Memoriam” is April 14, 2026. Photos, too. (And remember: If you send in your baby announcement and photo, we’ll outfit your little lion with a Lakeside bib.) Thanks for sharing.
* That’s a pleasing, uncoated stock made from responsibly managed forests. Photos on this paper are reproduced with especially high fidelity.
Talk to us!
Lakeside magazine welcomes your suggestions and letters to the editor. Please send them to magazine@lakesideschool.org or via social media.
