seating chart!

Dead Poets Society || FINAL SEATING CHART

As a huge fan of Dead Poets Society, I made it out to figure who the students are in the seating chart. I love everything Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke, but I feel that there isn't enough credit for the other actors that are present. Through methods of tracking down photos of the boys first and positioning them in the seating chart, the next step was to find information about the actors and find older photos of them to match with the seating chart and thus confirm the names of the characters who sit in Mr. Keating's class. In the end, I am confidently able to say who is who, leaving the seating chart as

Jonas Bagpiper Sam Charlie

Beans Shroom Pitts Knox

Dewey Woodsie Neil Ace

Russell Hopkins Cameron Stick

Lester Meeks Spencer Todd

First, we can for certain say who the seven poets are: Charlie, Knox, Todd, Cameron, Neil, Pitts, and Meeks. That leaves thirteen out of the twenty students left. We know for sure there are twenty students as there are twenty seats. Searching through IMDb first, we can find credits and photos in the photo gallery with annotations of the character names and even actor's names. But to tie actor's names to character names, we look to the casting list in IMDb which is the same for the end credits list.

Hopkins - Matt Carey; Lester - Kurt Leitner; Stick - Richard Stites; Spaz - James J Christy; Beans - Robert J. Zigler III; Russell - Keith Snyder; Shroom - Nicholas K. Gilhool; Jonas - Jonas Stiklorius; Dewey - Craig Johnson; Ace - Chris Hull; Woodsie - Jason Woody; Sam - Sam Stegeman (See IMDb for full cast listing)

What we can begin with is listing out the characters that are presented in IMDb:

1. Stick (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/mediaviewer/rm1175022593/). However, there is a youtube video of Richard Stites singing a tribute to Michael Jackson with the video titled Living Your Dream (MJ Tribute) - session w Al Walser / Richie Stites. That provides what Richie has been up to after Dead Poets Society, working apparently with Michael Jackson as a songwriter for him. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHaCn667cjE)

2. Hopkins: Can be seen in the IMDb page with his own photo and annotation just like Richie. He is played by Matt Carey. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/mediaviewer/rm1762159617/)

3. Sam: (Sam Stegeman) is also listed in IMDb with a photo with Matt Carey and Sam Stegeman. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/mediaviewer/rm423193601/) Since we know who Matt Carey plays, this leaves us with a photo of Sam. Sam sits behind Pitts. Sam can be found in the 1989 yearbook at St. Andrews, the school Dead Poets Society was shot at, making him one of the students that was casted. He therefore played soccer while attending St. Andrews. (https://libraryarchives.standrews-de.org/archive/yearbook-1989?)

4. Woodsie (Jason Woody): also listed in IMDb with Sam, Matt and Robin Williams, therefore, leaving him as the only other option. Jason Woodsie, the blonde can be determined in the black and white photo, making him sit behind Hopkins. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/mediaviewer/rm3171445761/)

5. From The Script:

Spencer: From Daily Script: "DR. HAGER is standing in his room doorway while SPAZ and his father are going over some last minute precautions over the boy's allergies. Spaz's father hands Hager various bottles." (https://dailyscript.com/scripts/dead_poets_final.html) From this, we can deduce that the kid from this scene in the movie is Spencer, the one with the black glasses, and sits in front of Cameron.