Last year, as the voices of the cast members from “Mary Poppins: The Musical” echoed throughout the Pavilion, the drama department finished its third production of the 2015-2016 season. The Spotlight play, the fourth production, was just around the corner.

This year however, the drama department will only put on two performances: “Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Hair: The Musical.”

The Oak Park Performing Arts Alliance and the administrators made the decision during “Mary Poppins: The Musical,” choosing to remove two productions from the 2016-2017 drama season because of the limited availability of the Pavilion, as well as technical difficulties due to complicated set designs.

Due to other organizations such as ComedySportz and FBLA using the Pavilion, rehearsals were cut short and some were even cancelled.

“Drama couldn’t get access to the Pavilion,” Principal Kevin Buchanan said.

This year’s musical and play also require simpler sets and props, reducing the potential for technical difficulties.

“Our technical difficulties were mainly in our set, which we probably would do over. Our pieces were oversized,” drama teacher Allan Hunt said.

Some parents had expressed concerns about the subject matter of Oak Park plays last year, but, according to Buchanan, the cuts were purely logistical.

“The controversial content matter of the plays played no role in the decision to cut down from four to two,” Buchanan said.

While drama students will still be able to take the stage, some students said they are upset by the decision.

“I think everyone, including myself, [was] deeply saddened by the choice that the department made, but we also understood that changes are inevitable and that we should enjoy the shows that we do have,” senior and drama student Parker Green wrote in an email.

Students are still pushing to bring back the Spotlight play — a student-directed play that is usually the fourth production of the school year. The drama students have written and submitted a proposal to Buchanan — pending his approval.

“In fact, there is quite an uproar going on about it with our drama students who feel like they have been shortchanged,” Hunt said.

Hunt said he wants nothing more than another opportunity for his students to showcase their talent to the high school and gain experience.

“One of the nicest comments we hear in my department when the play is over [is when] the kids always come up to us and say ‘When is the next one? When is the next?’” Hunt said.

This time the next one will be a little further away from each other — in October and February.

“Let’s do less, and do it better rather than do more,” Buchanan said.