The curtain falls at 7 p.m.
The adrenaline hits, and suddenly he’s on stage performing,acting in his last show. Everything is going as planned, the epiphany of a perfect night. Senior Erick Cochenour, performing his last high school show, Big Fish.
Cochenour has many talents; he largely contributed to both the choir and the theatre company throughout his time at Arvada West.
Cochenour first started choir in his freshman year, growing his friendships and learning the ins and outs. In one of their more recent pieces, Cochenour discusses how interesting and intricate it was to sing Mozart’s Requiem. “It was a lot of singing, but it was…making really awesome music, and discussing, and exploring the meaning, and then as the doctor[the one teaching the song to the choir] would put it, synthesizing that into the song. And it was fascinating!”
Cochenour also joined the theatre Company his first year. Recalling his first-ever audition, he may not have gotten the memo to wear black or not to monologue from ‘Knives Out,’ but he still shone brightly. “I walked on stage, not in the clothes I was supposed to be wearing, and did a monologue from something that is completely frowned upon. I threw on my southern accent because I knew the play was set in the south, and I will attribute this to my aunt because she spoke to me in a wide range of accents.”
Despite breaking the established rules, Cochenour was still able to stand out, his accent making him the perfect fit for the role of Junior in ‘Dearly Departed’ (Fall Play 2022). Linsey Welsh, A-West theatre Director, adds how she first felt when seeing Cochenour perform his monologue, sharing “ So like from day one, well at least his quality of voice and the way that he can deliver a line was, like, far beyond his years. That was…the first thing that stuck out to me…”.
From then on, Cochenour performed in a variety of roles acting as Max in ‘Bright Star’ (Spring Musical 2023), The Tin Man in ‘Oz’ (Senior-Directed Show 2023), Sean O’Rourke (Deacon) in ‘The Lost Boy’ (Fall Play 2023), Shylock in ‘Something Rotten’ (Spring Musical 2024), The Professor in ‘Tracks’ (Senior-Directed Show 2024), Detective Hercule Poirot in ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (Fall Play 2024), Judge Turpin in ‘Sweeney Todd’ (Spring Musical, 2025), Alphonse Frankenstein in ‘Frankenstein’ (Senior-Directed Show, 2025), Vice Principal Douglas Panch in ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ (Fall Musical 2025), Edward Bloom in ‘Big Fish’ (Spring Musical 2026), and lastly ending as director of ‘Our Place’ (Senior-Directed Show).
Cochenour was able to build a strong community within the theatre company, being able to recognize other students in the hall. He also made friends quickly, despite being known more as the shy type his freshman year.
Reflecting on his favorite performance, it is hard for Cochenour to choose just one. He shares that a year ago, his favorite would’ve been ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ due to the depth that he was able to go into with his character. This quickly changed towards the end of 2025, when the A-West theatre company performed ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ He played the principal, a refreshing and thoroughly entertaining role due to his ability to talk smack to the audience while also performing as a whimsical antagonist.
Now though, Cochenour can confidently say Big Fish is his favorite role. The large amount of depth and character growth, the twists and turns, the failures and achievements that Cochenour was able to show through his character made all the difference. He explains, “In a way that is so real and incredibly impactful for many people. And even if you don’t have those same sorts of problems. I know a lot of people, and some of the adults, especially, who came to the show, who are family, friends of mine, and people that I’ve never met before, who talked to me about great relationships with their parents.”
This character allowed him to be expressive and to show another side, which is why it claimed the top spot in his list of roles.
Along with being in theatre, he performed at A-West’s ‘Best of A-West,’ after the event was recommended to him by a few of his friends. For the event, Cochenour and other competitors were given little to no heads-up, adding to the element of surprise. The most practice they were given was a rehearsal, where they went through the motions. After competing in ‘Best of A-West, Cochenour explains the moment the announcer messed up the announcement of the winners after all the games have been played.
“They were calling out the order of people in the top three. And they read it off wrong. And so they started with number three. And I remember I’m standing in the stage right wing and I’m looking out at…[Matthew] Studenny standing there with his list, and Isaiah [Breez], a junior at Awest], is on the stage, left wing. So I can see him, and I can see Studenny. And, Mrs. [Eryn] Balding’s over here somewhere, as well, off to Mr. Studenny’s right. And he’s reading off the names, and he goes, ‘In third place…,’ And then he says my name, and Isaiah leaps out of the stage, left wing, with his hands in the air, and he does a little throat-chopping thing. He’s like, ‘no, no, no, One!’ And then he turns around, and he walks back, and the studio goes, ‘Oh, sorry,’ and then starts over and then goes three and then two and then one.”
Sharing a moment of victory through hilarious ups and downs, Cochenour won first place, receiving bragging rights along with a Best of A-West parking spot.
Another large achievement for Cochenour was winning the Thescon Scholarship. Cochenour explained how, at first, it was a normal trip. Beforehand, he had sent in two contrasting monologues as part of the requirement. Arriving at Thescon, it started out normal, until the end of day one, when Welsh informed Cochenour that he was offered the spot of runner-up for the mainstage.
Cochenour describes how he felt that morning, having around 24 hours to prepare, to the moment leading up to the stage. “Walking out from behind the curtain to the thunderous applause of my peers and the wall of sound from the other four thousand and some odd people was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. I remember taking a deep breath in, saying my name, and then dropping into my monologues. I couldn’t feel my face the entire time, and my hands were tingling like TV static.”
As Cochenour wraps up his senior year with a host of achievements and awards to his name, he looks forward to his future aspirations. Cochenour shares, “…if I can spend the rest of my life making things a little less bad. I think that’s all I want to do.”
