Tioga High School competed at the Regional One Act Play competition on Thursday, April 25.
Under the direction of Haley Hertel, Tioga performed scenes from “Pride and Prejudice” by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Jane Austen. It follows the novel closely, but with more modern language and modern jokes, according to Hertel.
Tioga competed against five other schools, including Rivercrest and Alba-Golden who advanced with them from the Area competition. They were joined by De Leon, Hamilton and Hico. The top two performances will advance to State.
Tioga has come a long way to get to where they are now and have had a very successful season. First, Tioga competed against four schools at Zone on March 4 at North Central Texas College (NCTC) in Gainesville. Tioga was among three schools that advanced. They received first place. Lizbeth Faire won for Outstanding Technician. They won Overall Best Crew. Kallin Henderson and Kai Goree received Honorable Mention All Star Cast. Alivia Hall and Krysta Stanley received All Star Cast. Lacie Gray was awarded Best Performer.
Their success in the next levels of competition earned them a place at Area, which took place at Caddo Mills High School. There, Tioga received second place. Blakely Arroyo won for Outstanding Technician. Krysta Stanley won Honorable Mention All Star Cast. Alivia Hall and Kendal Kearns won All Star Cast. Lacie Gray received Best Performer.
“We have had so much fun diving into the world of Jane Austen with this show,” Hertel said. “And the students have worked so hard to pull off a masterpiece. We’ve really stepped out of our comfort zone with this show, perfecting British dialects, learning ballroom dancing and really understanding the historical context of Regency England. No matter the outcome on Thursday, these students are in the top 24 in the state, and I couldn’t be prouder of the show they’ve created.”
The contest took place on Thursday at Grayson College in Denison. Results were not available as of press time.
