The theatre company advances to Regionals April 24 after placing second at Area with their show “Moo” by Sally Clark.
“After going through a dry spell with not making it past District, and wanting to make it to State so bad, I’m excited to go to Regionals,” Senior Maylee Harbin said. “I can see State, we’re so close. So to not only break the dry spell, but also be a member of the cast to bring a show to regionals, makes me so excited. I don’t really have any other words for it.”
The company’s show is first in performance order which will start at 10 a.m at the Stephen F. Austin campus.
“It’s good to switch things up,” senior Cale Wheeler said. “We’ve consistently been second to last or last in performance order up until now. We’ll get to set the standard for the day.”
Area took place in Bastrop at the Jerry Fay Wilhelm Center for the Performing Arts.
“It was really cool to perform in an auditorium of that size and quality,” Wheeler said. “It was an interesting experience because they had a lot of things on their stage we are unfamiliar with such as a fly system and they had these poles with lights on them that we had never seen on a stage before.”
Marble Falls placed first, Lampasas placed second and Sealy placed third, and they will be moving on to compete against Yates, Bullard and Hardin-Jefferson.
“I feel really happy for everyone in the cast because none of us have advanced this far before,” freshman A. Walker said. “I hope we continue to advance all the way to State, knock on wood, and I hope to advance again and again after this year too.”
The UIL Academics students who advanced to Regionals will be able to watch the One Act performance too.
“I am absolutely ecstatic to watch their show at Regionals because the UIL academics kids get to go see it,” senior Kelly Stovall said. “I’ve heard so many good reviews about it, and I’m excited to see if they advance even further.”
The show has undergone slight revisions since their performance at District.
“We’ve changed blocking of scenes to enhance them,” junior Isabell McGinnis said. “After each contest we get critiqued to help improve our show. Emotionally, I think the show has changed a little for everyone, like the way we approach the show has improved with everyone’s confidence and hope for the future.”
McGinnis said to keep motivated, she tries to focus on a new aspect of the show and her character to keep it exciting.
“After running the show consistently, it starts becoming muscle memory, and while that’s good for competition, it’s bad for acting,” McGinnis said. “It sounds crazy to make up events for fake people but sometimes it’s the only entertainment you get when continuously doing the show.”
Walker said they’re so proud of how far the company has come.
“I think I’m most proud of all of us working as a team the whole process and not fighting with one another,” Walker said. “I know we all have to work hard and power through it for all of us to succeed. I do it for the love of the game and the love of all my cast members.”
