The theater IV students at our school recently achieved a remarkable milestone by securing first place in the district Virginia High School League (VHSL) tournament. They performed their one-act play, Witches?! In Salem?!, a comedical take on the Salem witch trials. This victory not only showcased the students’ impressive acting skills, but also the collective effort of the cast, director and crew. The production earned them a coveted spot in the next round of the competition: the regional VHSL tournament.
Following their district championship, the theater IV students advanced to the regional VHSL tournament, where they faced tough competition including some of the best theater programs in the region. The students once again delivered a stellar performance and tied for first place with McLean High School.
After a tiebreaker round where the individual scores were counted up, our school ended in second place. Despite the close loss, by a singular point, the experience demonstrated the students’ ability to remain calm under pressure throughout the intense tiebreaker round.
“The activities director at Marshall said that he had been doing this for 20 years, and he had never seen anything so close,” theater teacher Alani Kravitz said.
While the tiebreaker may have led to a bittersweet runner up position, the accomplishment highlights the immense dedication of the theater IV students. Their resilience throughout both the district and regional rounds displays their commitment to rehearsing, and making the overall performance an incredible display.
“The thing with competition and theater is that theater is a subjective thing. It is not a sport where either you win or you lose, it comes down to personal preference. So, the show that we did was a very specific over the top, outrageous style of comedy and you run the risk that somebody doesn’t prefer that over a different kind of play,” Kravitz said.
The impressive results in the VHSL tournament reflect the high standard of our school’s theater program. As well as the guidance of the theater department’s faculty to support the actors and behind-the-scenes crew is evident in their strong performances.
“I’m so proud of them. It was very, very silly show, but the kids in that class are so comically gifted that I knew it was going to be a really fun time no matter what, but their talent really put it over the top to the point where I was like this actually could do really well,” Kravitz said.
The achievements of this year’s theater IV students serves as both a milestone and an inspiration for future theater students at our school. These students will be role models for the next class of theater enthusiasts. Their success in the VHSL tournament has set a high bar, and will surely motivate younger students to aim for similar excellence in their own performances.
