As the beginning of the school year rolls around, so do auditions. The auditions for the One Act were open for anyone who wanted to be front of an audience. Throughout the season, students who participate in one act take a four day long trip down to Norfolk every year. This trip is for a state-wide convention called Virginia Theatre Association (VTA). This trip involves putting effort into the play, going to other schools showcasing, and learning more about theatre and working on ways to improve their acting or their technological skills.
Junior Shea Gibson, who plays the character of “Joe” enjoyed his experience at VTA.
“I thought VTA was pretty fun. We didn’t really win much in awards, but I feel like I learned a lot from other’s performances and workshops that I went to.” Gibson said
During this conference trip, Gibson liked this experience because of how unique this was for him.
“I liked watching all these different people perform that I’ve never met before. It was such a unique experience to see that many high school students, the same age as myself, at all different skill levels perform at one conference,” Gibson said.
There are some difficulties when traveling to perform show.
“We take this show to different places to compete. All the lights in each place are different, so people don’t realize how much we have to adapt to new stage sizes, different lighting, new configurations. You don’t just show up and perform, you have to get used to that space,” Gibson said.
To overcome these challenges, the one act team prepares ahead of time.
“Something cool about the behind the scenes at VTA is the preparation that we put into it to get used to performing in such spaces because our performance didn’t happen in a theatre, it’s just a ballroom. I feel like getting used to how much you need to project your voice and enunciate your words just so the audience can understand you.”
After many weeks, Gibson is still getting used to playing his character and he’s still trying out new things and seeing if they help him in any way. Gibson also says that since he first read the script, he has always wanted to play his character because he thinks his character has the best lines in the show. Gibson also believes and hopes that one act will go on to State Champions and win this season.
Freshman Zevvi Misterka, who plays “Maria,” also went on this trip. She joined the one Aat to continue her hobby of acting. Misterka also believes that going on this trip has benefitted her in many ways. One of those ways is seeing other schools perform and see what those students did and apply that on herself.
“I learned a lot from this trip. One of the things I learned is that being energetic is very important for performing that you can bring that energy,” Misterka said.
