Victory for Owasso: The One-Act competition
By James Burkhalter
Picture of The Owasso “Kaleidoscope” cast by Terressa Evington
The one-act competition is something that Owasso High School has participated in for years. “Kaleidoscope” is the one-act selected this year for the Owasso theater department's first contest piece and it seemed the students in the department were ecstatic. The one-act competition takes place at Union High School, and it includes schools across the Tulsa area. After performing to their best ability, the “Kaleidoscope” cast and crew brought home a 1st place ranking, a Best Company Award and four Best Actor Awards.
Owasso and Union were the only two schools that received 1st place rankings among all attendees. Even before the competition, Mr. King had pride and respect for his students–both in their craft and as people. Success is not a new experience for Mr. King, the director of “Kaleidoscope,” and his expertise and prowess present themselves in their scores and achievements. When asked about his students, he said this:
“I think it’s exciting for them to get it because typically people don’t get that far,” and, “to me, just seeing it work is really exciting because you think oh good, they got it.”
His answers were straight to the point because their talent can be felt without words. Mr. King is never short on words and trying to express something that seemed so obvious stumped him for a second.
I had the opportunity to sit in on the final dress rehearsal on the day before their competition, and you could feel the passion and excitement emanating from the stage and the director. Even as the students packed their things to prepare for the trip to Union, all faces were riddled with grins. This joy and willingness to perform wonderfully are the things that granted them such a satisfying achievement. While fixing a few issues after their dress rehearsal, a choir teacher, Ms. Robinson, who knows much about the theater, had this to say to the “Kaleidoscope” cast and crew:
“Take pride in what you do because you are making a difference.”
Pride was something on the mind of Mariah Chartier during this competition, one of the receivers of the Best Actor Award. This was the first competition Chartier participated in, and obviously, she did quite well.
Another first-timer, Gabriel Cornwell, said, “First contests are always scary in any form of class; I just hope that it goes well and everyone has a fun time”
While the first-timers felt nervous and excited when approaching the Union one-act competition, seniors, who’ve experienced this before, felt a bit solemn regarding their “last first” competition.
“Contest was the first thing I experienced with theater so it’s really sad that this is kinda going to be the last thing I experience,” said Raygen Kurtz, a senior “techie,” trying to hold her composure.
These two sentiments show the different views of the one-act competition; one being a beautiful introduction into the theater department, and the other a beautiful exit. This victory is hopefully the first of many, but I believe it serves as an excellent greeting and goodbye.