This was a long, long weekend and yet, it was so much fun. SO well done! With 32 schools in 4 counties signed up, and over 1,000 participants in 29 one-act plays and 490 individual evens in 18 categories (Costume Construction, Costume Design, Duet Acting, Duet Musical, Ensemble Acting, Large Group Musicals, Monologues, Pantomime, Playwriting, Publicity Design, Scene Design, Small Group Musical, Solo Musical, Student Directed Scenes and Senior Scholarship performance.) It was A LOT to take in and so very well organized by the District Chair and the high school and its troupe that hosted the event. Kudos!!
The theme for this year's Drama Festival?
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| Yes!! |
to our badges were Star Wars themed.
We arrived at the host school around 11 a.m. Days 1 and 2 were for the schools' One-Act performances; one-act plays lasting exactly 40 minutes or less. Ours was set for Day 1, Thursday at 6:15 p.m., so we had the entire day, pretty much, to watch other One-Acts, eat lunch and mingle.
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| The kids get a talking to by their drama teacher. |
We ate lunch, watched a few performances (and got completely blown away by one show called "Emotional Baggage." (The last 8 pictures on the bottom right of this link are from the school that performed the play but not actual players that performed that night. Might be a previous years' cast, but you can see the masks.) No talking, all done with beautiful/horrible face masks and body language. Fantastic! I'm getting goose bumps just thinking on it!)
Yet, the number one activity for the kids on day one, beside their one-act?
Pins.
As in these.
The District 3 Mascot is a Penguin (in Florida. I know.) To raise money for "Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids" Joe Norton of said organization, along with illustrator Dawn Schreiner and tons of other sponsors came up with the memorabilia for the festival, including these $1 pins. Every dollar went to "Broadway Cares."
The kids. went. nuts.
NUTS for these pins. Some you could outright buy, others you have to take a chance in the "Mystery Bucket," and yet others you had to know the "secret" to getting them. (Jacob and I never got the illusive District 3 one.)
Kids were spending their lunch money on these! They were trading, bartering, begging for these pins.
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| Ewok penguin and Admiral Akbar penguin. |
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| I got Han Penguin frozen in carbonite and the Imperial Royal Guard penguin |
SO CUTE!
Five forty and the kids had to start getting set up to go on at 6:15 p.m. We chaperones/teachers headed into the 900-seat capacity auditorium to get ready for the show. It's 40 minutes long so I won't post it here, but eventually I will upload it to my YouTube account.
Jacob was the stage manager and nervous as all get-out. He had an assistant stage manager, a sound guy and a lighting guy. Our show, "Shoes Along the Highway" is a very slow, sweet story, not a high energy one like "Godspell Junior," "Iliad, Iliad, Iliad" or not to the level of the amazing "Emotional Baggage," and we had some technical difficulties along the way with equipment and cues. Jacob was upset. Some of the kids were very distraught, others mad, others just took it as "oh well, we'll get them next year." They were heroes in my book.
We could not load out until the last performance was done; 8:45 p.m. Isabel had arrived on site at around 5 p.m. so she got to see her brother on stage after the performance getting critiqued. She also ate with us. I ended up getting 5 pizzas for the kids - well discounted at $5 each because I know some people at the store (*grin*) because half these crazy kids either did not bring lunch money or spent it on the pins. We ate outside in the courtyard and all the kids helped load up and home we went. I think I got to bed at 11:30 p.m. Ouch! Long day!
Day 2: Friday was the second day of One-Acts, and so we did not have to be there for it. Saturday was the day for the 490 individual evens in 18 categories. Jacob was to be in an Ensemble Act (Waiting for Godot) and a Student Directed Duet (Red.) So excited for it!
2 comments:
love, love, LOVE! :-D
The people that came up with the concept, the posters, the pins are awesome!
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