Three Texas High School theatre students received top individual awards during the Regional UIL One Act Play earlier this month. Junior Maddie Frost (All-Star Cast), junior Jeremy Creek (Honorable Mention All-Star Cast) and sophomore Braylen Garren (Outstanding Tech) all were recognized.
Performing "Silent Sky" by Lauren Gunderson, Theatre Director Melissa Newton said this is the first time since 2001 that Texas High has advanced to Regional competition.
"Last time they went, you went straight from district to region. Now, you have to go district-by-district, area and region. So, we had to go through multiple levels of competition to get to Region," she said. "By the time we got there, we were one of only 32 5a schools in the state of Texas still competing."
Through the journey to Regional competition, her students were able to showcase their talents at a high level.
"We have worked, I can't tell you how many hours, on getting the acting correct," Newton said. "And the kids were just so excited to win the awards and be recognized for all of their hard work, because they have put in an incredible amount of hard work."
One of the noteworthy performances of the competition was that of Braylen Garren, who hand-made the entire projection for her company's performance, working more than 100 hours solely on setting up the lighting, set and backdrop for the play.
"In every level of the competition, the judges talked about how beautiful the projections were and how they enhanced the show," Newton said.
With a talented group of underclassmen in her company, Newton said she feels confident about where the program is heading.
"I just really feel like the program is growing in the right direction," she said. "We're seeing more and more success, and we have a very bright future. We have a lot of juniors, sophomores and a huge group of freshmen coming up. In the next few years, they'll be performing, not only in the One Act Play, but in all of our shows."