by Erin Cearley
Oakwood Panther Theatre is soaring high, advancing this past Saturday from Area to the Regional One Act Play Contest. The team placed second overall and received the following individual awards:
All-Star Tech- Buddy Ballard- Lighting
All Star Cast- Lauren Relerford
Best Performer- Rae Rantala
Everything’s bigger in Texas… and that includes Theatre. UIL One Act Play is vital to educational theatre in Texas. It allows the arts a place to live and be recognized by school districts, school boards, and their respective communities. Without the contest, many schools might not have theatre programs; especially in smaller schools where districts may not have the resources to provide a comprehensive fine arts curriculum.
Fortunately, for the students at Oakwood, the theater program has wholehearted support from administration, the school board, and community. We are blessed to continue our journey and are thankful for everyone helping us along the way. Theater is collaborative, and we could not be successful without the support of those around us: From our wonderful cafeteria staff packing us lunches, our transportation guys helping us to get to and from our competitions, our Principal, Dr. Johnson, for taking the time to send us videos of encouragement, and to my fellow colleagues, taking time out of their personal lives to drive trailers and help with all the things we need.
It is an honor to represent Oakwood, and I am incredibly proud of my students, their dedication and work on our show.
Students competing on April 27th at Blinn College in Brenham are Rai’Miaya Winston, Graci Kelley, Lauren Relerford, Austin Peralta, Ryan Benner, Tirrec Jackson, Buddy Ballard, Aubrey Lucas, Destinei Robinson, Rae Rantala, Lexi Granger, Angel Cook, and Aniyah Johnson.
Shows are open to the public.
