Megan Thrift’s classroom has over 30 doors to lock at the end of the day. There are dressing rooms, a black box theater, main stage entrances and a vault full of stockpiled stage pieces and props from decades of shows. Perhaps there’s one for each year her predecessor Chip Rome served as theater director at Robinson Secondary School.

“They’re enormous shoes to fill,” said Thrift, an Alexandria resident. Rome quite literally wrote the book on teaching theater -- a collaboration with other theater teachers Mary Lechter and Zoe Dillard advising first-year teachers on building a program foundation -- and remains a legend at the school and around the county.

“I just got an email from the theater teacher at Lake Braddock, just 20 minutes ago,” said Thrift. “He said, ‘Chip was so helpful to me and we have very similar programs, so if you need any help, come to me and I'm going to be a resource for you like Chip was for me.’”

Robinson Principal Matt Eline insists replacing Rome “isn’t possible,” but that “You just have to be yourself. You're going to bring different skills and point of view. That's all you can do.”

TO HELP JUDGE applicants for the position, Eline invited students to sit on the interview panel. “There has to be a really different kind of relationship with the theater teacher and students,” he said. “So it was important that the kids had a voice.”

Seniors Andie Matten and Sarah Marksteiner were immediately impressed with Thrift. “We automatically connected,” said Matten. “We were able to feed off of each other. That's always something that we're worried about, talking to a director.”

Thrift is a “local yokel,” graduating from Westfield High School and completing undergraduate and graduate studies at George Mason University. While at GMU the first time, she began working for the Keegan Theatre in Washington, D.C.

After an international tour with Keegan, Thrift moved to North Carolina and focused on light and design with productions around Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. She later returned to the area and worked with an events company in and around D.C. To better complement her theater education masters classes at GMU, Thrift left the events company and substitute taught.

In 2013, Thrift took over theater duties abruptly at Key Middle School in Springfield when a faculty member retired early. At that point, she said, “I had no plans for full-time teaching.” That was before the Robinson position opened up.

“This is the dream job,” Thrift said. “I don't think I could've been more fortunate. Robinson is like Disneyland for teachers.”

THRIFT WAS IMMEDIATELY blown away by the administrative support and respectful, knowledge-hungry students at the school she described as so big “it’s like an airport.”

“It’s a school culture thing,” she said.

This support structure has helped Thrift move quickly to establish her own brand -- a program that draws and departs from Rome’s tenure.

“I'm trying to insert a professional structure into the way that things run and work us as a company,” said Thrift. So far, that’s meant completely rebuilding the program website, rebranding as The Rambunctious Theater Company and talking more about the business of show business.

“The kids love that,” said Eline. “School should be more like real life experiences and that's what she's trying to do.”

“She’s a brave soul, with the energy and creativity and ambition to really jump in there and slay the dragon,” said Rome, who plans to eavesdrop when he can. “She’s going to do great things,” he said. “If not, I’m going to get her. She’ll be hearing from me.”

Rome’s mark won’t soon leave the program. “There's been a strong tradition of mentorship within the students,” Thrift said. “That’s something I absolutely love and don't think this department could succeed without. And that was purely Chip.”