Two Columbia County (CCSD) schools came in first place in their respective groups at One Act, an annual dramatic arts competition.
Greenbrier High School and Grovetown High School are now both set to move on to the state competitions for their regions on Nov. 16 and Nov. 23 respectively.
Greenbrier landed a first place spot in Region 1 – AAAAA with their production of the 1959 classic fairytale spinoff, “Once Upon a Mattress,” a bold choice according to CCSD Fine Arts Specialist Danielle Starcher who said that musicals aren’t typically selected as performance pieces at One Act.
“Musicals aren’t always exhibited in the One Act plays…when [One Act] was introduced, it was not something that was actually allowed, and it’s evolved over time, so Greenbrier being able to do that just kind of shows how we’ve grown in the theatre arts,” said Starcher.
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From Greenbrier, Paige Harrell won the region’s Best Actress Award and Tashawn Yeldell and Nolan Terry were named to the All Star Cast.
Grovetown won the region title for Region 4 – AAAAAA with their iteration of ‘Alabama Story,” a one-set drama about censorship, book banning and Civil Rights. Starcher said the students were able to collaborate with the writers of the play to deeper understand its message.
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“They really enjoyed that process, being able to collaborate,” said Starcher. “They really felt like they were immersed within the story and understood the script well and really were able to develop the characters with the background history.”
From Grovetown, Evan Bizzell was awarded Best Actor and Rebekah Watson was named Best Actress. Kailey Giles and Noah Sparks were named to the All Star Cast.
Competition setup
School theatre groups participating in One Act have to perform their chosen play in under an hour.
According to Starcher, this time limit allows the directors to think outside the box regarding set changes and other technical aspects of the production.
“It kind of allows for the directors to really think creatively,” she said.
Additional rankings for Columbia County
Harlem High School placed second in the region for Region 4 – AAA. Individual winners were Adalyn Falk and Sara Jane Bloodworth who were named to the All Star Cast.
Evans High finished 3rd in the region for Region 1 – AAAAA. Raleigh Daniel was awarded the best supporting actor for the region and Brody Lantz and Kayla Perkey were named to the All Star Cast.
Lakeside High finished 5th in the region for Region 1 – AAAAA. Jack Shaffer was named best actor in the region and Karis Williams and Emma Glass were named to the All Star Cast.
Upcoming dates
According to Starcher, all Columbia County School District schools have a variety of upcoming shows, the dates of which can be found on the district’s fine arts calendar.
She also said the students across the district are gearing up for Arts at the Plaza on April 26, which will take place at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. This event will celebrate all areas of the fine arts in schools throughout Columbia County.
Grovetown High School will have a sendoff before the state competition by performing “Alabama Story” on Nov. 19. Greenbrier had a similar sendoff with performances of “Once Upon a Mattress” on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13.
Fine Arts Diploma Seal
Starcher said a diploma seal is now being offered for fine arts students.
“This is something they can begin working on their freshman year,” she said.
This fine arts diploma seal is earned through engagement in fine arts courses, extra-curricular activities and fine arts-related volunteer work.
“It really allows for the students to let the community know that they are committed to the fine arts and that they are a strong supporter as well as very talented,” said Starcher.
This seal can also help students planning to pursue post-secondary education, especially in a fine arts discipline.
