Thespians Thirst for Theatre Thrills
Thespians from 11 schools flocked to the Fine Arts Center of Charlotte Catholic for a regional theater showcase on October 27th and 28th. These talented students were excited to see their competitors from other schools perform in 16 different plays. Due to the limited space, time of day, and the nature of the event, students who were not participating were not able to spectate the event until after school hours. While school was in session during the competition, the Fine Arts Center was closed except for the technical crews working the event and the second floor classes such as art.
North Carolina Theater Conference hosts various high school play festivals across the state, one being held at Catholic this year. These competitions allow local high school theater programs to celebrate dramatic work and compete for the coveted award of “Best Show.” Winners advance to the statewide competition. Throughout two days, students watched other plays and performed their own. Each cast had 45 minutes to set up their stage, perform, and completely strike the set. After each show the judges gave their immediate critiques to the cast.
Having participated in NCTC as a student, Mr. Riter was looking forward to hosting the competition this year and showing off what Catholic has to offer and what the theater class can do. He was glad to have the home field advantage. The acting class performed two plays: Our Place by Terry Gabbard and In the Hole with the Enemy, written by Mr. Riter.
One sophomore from the Honors Acting class, Sadie Herbert, talked about NCTC. Her role this year was in Our Place, playing a 13 year-old angsty teen girl, Nicky. When asked about this year’s NCTC, Sadie said, “I am most looking forward to getting to show off everyone’s hard work and getting to see what other schools have prepared.”
Junior Ava Muller managed the casts and students from all the visiting schools in this year’s competition. For this year’s NCTC, Ava looked forward to showing off Catholic’s state-of-art facilities and getting to see performances from other schools.
After months of planning, rehearsals, and hard work, NCTC was a success at Charlotte Catholic. From day one, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. While Catholic did not win, the overall event went well.
Catholic theater students enjoyed the event and the opportunity to host this year. Sophomore Maye Glessener commented “All the schools were super nice. They were so supportive and clapping for everyone.” She and sophomore Kali Thach, along with other Catholic students, not only participated in the competition, but also ran the concession stand and worked as ushers. Kali added “Everything has been pretty smooth—not as hectic as I thought it would be.”
Visiting students marveled at what Catholic had to offer, just as Mr. Riter hoped. One junior from Hopewell High not only commented on how welcoming everyone was, but also how “the space is a lot bigger than last year’s, which is very appreciated.” She enjoyed her two days at Catholic, getting to perform PeterWendy on the state-of-the art stage. As the first day of the competition wrapped up, a senior from Country Day said, “It’s been awesome. This facility is amazing. It’s super beautiful. It’s been a blast so far, and I can’t wait for more.” If awards went to the best facility, surely Catholic would win first place.
The theater department now moves on to their next project, The Nativity, to be performed on December 7th-9th.
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