This year's Cochrane High school production, 'Waiting for Godot', has the drama teacher taking a step back.

The Samuel Beckett tragicomedy has Grade 11 and 12 drama students coming together and taking charge of everything from acting and directing to costuming and sound.

Jander Talen, Cochrane High Drama Teacher, says the students are co-directing this year so every one of them comes up with ideas and then they decide on which one wins.

"There's not one of the students taking the lead, necessarily. They have a system that they give an offer for an idea of a way they might want to interpret it, and the other ones have a chance to give their offers then they, essentially, vote on which offer they want to go with."

Talen adds he felt comfortable letting the students take control.

Mackenzie Ireland, Cochrane High student who plays the role of Vladimir, says the group started working on the production last March and it came together piece by piece.

"Last year, we really focused on the ground work. We did a lot of text work and investigating. What it is about and what our motivations were for each character? In September, we really jumped on getting the blocking and how to keep the blocking exciting for the audience."  

 The story is about two men who are waiting for someone named Godot, who they know is never going to come but there's always the possibility.

"It kind of questions why we live the way we do. We are born and we wait to die. Why do we do that and is there a way to stop the inevitable from happening?"

Ireland believes the audience will be pleasantly surprised with the show.

Tickets for the production are $10 for adults and $5 for Cochrane High School students and available at the school office or at the door.

The show runs December 9-10 at 7pm in the Cochrane High School Lyceum.