Neenah High’s One Act earned all major awards last weekend at UW-Green Bay in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theater Festival, director Miss Kaitlyn Bergmann reported.
In Neenah’s play: This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, the 40-minute performance follows the fairytale story of three sisters finding themselves on imaginative journeys across the world. According to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech & Dramatic Arts Association (WISDAA), Neenah made up one of 37 state-qualified schools that performed.
Neenah earned a total point average above the required 2.67, making them eligible for the Critics Choice Award, the highest honor a performance can receive. Other awards Neenah earned included Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Technical Theatre. Additionally, judges chose standout performers during the show for Individual Acting Awards, as four Neenah students received that honor: Annilee Molchaney, Rebecca Konkle, Marie Dums and Aliza Perry, Bergmann confirmed.
Similar to most state competitions, Neenah competed in districts at Homestead High School, which qualified them for the state level so long as they reached a minimum point average. Instead of ending in one winner, each school earned points for an average final score. WISDAA clarified that points are earned under the categories of performance, ensemble, direction and technical — each looking at specific elements of a quality One Act.
The One Act allowed students of all grade levels to participate in either cast or crew and highlight their theater abilities. Practices for the group start in August and weekly practices occur after school in the new black box theater to lead up to large competitions, explained cast member and current junior Victoria Ochs.
Finally, to prepare for a full audience, a free community performance was given the week before state in Neenah High’s Performing Arts Center on Nov. 10, allowing performers to receive real-time feedback from viewers, Ochs said.
Aly Lamb, this year’s student director and current senior, attributed this year’s One Act achievements to the growth of each of the 28 students involved and to the excellence Neenah One Act consistently attains, and hopes that, “the One Act can continue its success in the years to come.”
