PG High School theater company advances to regional competition
TEXARKANA, Texas — The Pleasant Grove High School Curtain Call Productions Company advanced to the University Interscholastic League One Act Play Regional competition after performing “The Voice of the Prairie” in Longview, Texas at the Bi-District competition on Tuesday.
They performed after placing first in the district competition on March 9 in Longview, Texas. They will compete in the UIL One Act Play Regional competition in Lindale, Texas in mid-April.
The Pleasant PG High Theater Department is under the direction of Debby Sutton and is assisted by Tiffany Beck.
“The kids looked fantastic. We have worked very hard between the district and the bi-district round,” Sutton said.
“The Voice of the Prairie” is a play centered around storytelling. Flashing back between the 1890s and 1920s, the play follows a salesman named Leon Schwab and David Quinn, as Quinn tells tales on the radio, which is just making its way west.
Most of his stories involve his youthful adventures with Frankie, a blind girl he rescued from an abusive father. He becomes famous on the radio until Frankie re-enters his life thirty years later.
Sutton said due to the uncertainty of when a student may need to quarantine at any given time under COVID protocols, she had to pick a play that gave them some options, as far as personnel and actor availability.
“I picked a show I could do with as few as seven kids or as many as 20,” she said. “The story is one that gives us flexibility, so if I do have to move some people around, I can.”
This philosophy paid off, as one of her actors ended up catching a stomach bug and Allyanna Galvan, a student who was on stand-by, had to step in and fill the role. Sutton said she did so successfully, in addition to the rest of the cast.
The following individual awards were received among the cast: Outstanding Tech: Josie Veal Honorable Mention All Star Cast: Bryce Johnson
All Star Cast: Emily Mowery, Clayton
Jones, Michael McNeal
Sutton said notes given from judges at the district level helped give them an idea of what they needed to improve upon before their next performance in Lindale.
“We knew coming from our district level to our bi-district level, we had to increase the quality of our show,” she said. “You craft your show so that you have elements to add at every level of competition because you have to keep the show fresh for the actors. Otherwise, it becomes a stale performance for the audience, and that’s not conducive to winning. We’re all about winning.”
In addition to the regional competition, there will be a public performance of this play on May 8, with more details to come.