The Cooper City High School drama department competed at the District 13 Thespian One-Act Play Competition on November 22 and 23, where they placed first for their One-Act Play called Removing the Glove. Photo Courtesy Of ANGELA THOMAS
BY RACHEL SHARPE
On November 22nd and 23rd, the drama department at CCHS performed their One-Act Play at the District 13 Thespian One-Act Play Competition.
Cooper City High School was one of fourteen schools that participated in the competition hosted at American Heritage High School. Despite competing against some of the most talented schools in the state, CCHS exceeded their own expectations. The thespians placed first for their One-Act Play for the first time since Performing Arts Teacher, Angela Thomas has been at CCHS.
“Placing first [in the district] was a great testament to us,” Thomas said. “Having the judges choose us based on our ensemble was a wonderful reflection of our school and program.”
After auditions were held, twenty-one students were chosen to act in the play, including a handpicked technical staff. With only forty minutes onstage to each school from the time the set is loaded to when it was unloaded, the cast rehearsed the act numerous times in its entirety to get the timing down.
Thomas first heard about the play, Removing the Glove, from Jerel Brown, who choreographed CCHS’s rendition of Hairspray this past fall. Removing the Glove features a young boy who is left-handed. He hides his true identity from the world, scared of repercussions. He knows he can’t continue lying to his friends and family and therefore, must find the strength to confess his true character. The play sheds a comedic light on a story about the courage it takes to be oneself, whether someone is gay, overweight, or has a disability.
“When we won One Acts, it felt superb,” junior Melissa Bibliowicz said. “I had never been in a troupe that received 1st place in a One Act competition. It felt so amazing to know that all the work we had put into it paid off.”
In addition to placing first overall in the One Acts, CCHS won over the judges as evidenced by the incredible amount of additional awards that they won. Senior Erin Maloney won for best supporting actress, senior Jeff White won for Best Featured Actor, junior Natalie McPherson won for All Star Cast, and sophomore Matthew Johnston won for All-Star Crew. CCHS was also awarded Superior Technical Achievement, Best Technical Achievement and Superior One Act Play.
“It was literally unbelievable, to say the least,” Maloney said. “Our show symbolized a serious matter, but there were other schools who did plays that were much more dramatic than ours. To think that amongst all those shows and all those actors, I won an award; it was shocking. I was crying walking up to receive it.”
In March of 2011, The CCHS Thespians will compete at the State Competition in Tampa, where they will perform their One-Act Play against 90 other district winners, in the largest state competition in the nation.
“Being apart of [the One-Act Play] was a really fantastic experience, since Cooper City hadn’t won in many years,” sophomore Nake Promkul said. “I really do love the stage, as it is a very exciting place to be.”
