The school’s UIL One Act cast and crew members competed in the Zone B contest in the UIL One Act Play competition on Thursday, performing The Actor’s Nightmare by Christopher Durang, with a final performance for friends and family scheduled for Tuesday.

“The show itself didn’t advance, but we are very happy with the production as a whole,” technical director Laura Darce said. “The technicians did a beautiful job creating the world of the play. The sound and light crew were brand new to these jobs – never had they been in the booth before. They had not only to create pictures with lights and sound, but they also had to learn to operate the equipment from scratch! The vision came to life and gave the actors a varied and fun space to act.”

Several cast and crew members received awards for their work in Thursday’s Zone competition, including Connor Burk’s All Star Cast award, Jordan Battey, Kamarri Askew, and Mariana Trujillo’s Honorable Mention awards, and Avery Sutera’s All Star Crew’s award. 

“The actors told an incredible story of the ultimate actor’s nightmare – being onstage before an audience with no idea of your lines or even what the play is about,” technical director Laura Darce said. “This is George’s journey and the other characters created obstacles for him along the way.”

For freshman theatre students, their first UIL production proved to be a big learning experience.

“My biggest challenge had to be approaching this position through an actor’s perspective versus a technical one,” freshman Fabiana Rosario-Rivera said. “I have only ever acted in shows before this, so coming into this new position was really challenging at first, seeing as I am much more used to the acting aspects of a show. I overcame that by looking at the production and the tasks i had to do through the lens of someone well versed in tech and truly putting myself in those shoes versus those of an actor.”

Cast members are putting on a final public performance of The Actor’s Nightmare for friends and family Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

“I think the show went so well,” sophomore Eva Guerra said. “Something that was challenging was the covid safety guidelines we had, such as socially distant blocking as well as masks and streamed performances. However, everyone understood that these precautions were necessary for people’s safety. I am proud of the ability of the cast and crew to put on such an amazing and lighthearted show in such a strange time.”