Way Off Broadway Wins Area One-Act Play Contest

Van High School Way Off Broadway company competed in the Conference AAA, Area 3 UIL One-Act Play contest at Chapel Hill High School on April 5, and won the competition and the right to advance to the regional competition.

"The Elephant Man", by Bernard Pomerance, is Van’s 2008 entry into the UIL One-Act Play competition, hailed as the largest play competition in the world.

Six schools competed in the Area 3 competition including Mineola with its production of "Cinderella Waltz"; Gilmer with "To See the Stars"; Texarkana Pleasant Grove with "Thoroughly Modern Millie"; Mt. Vernon with "The Shadow Box"; Chapel Hill High School with "Women of Lockerbie"; and Van completed the lineup with its production of "The Elephant Man".

Texarkana Pleasant Grove was named the alternate winning performance, and the two advancing plays were Van and Mt. Vernon.

The company will perform in the Conference AAA, Region II competition Friday, April 11, at the Performing Arts Center on the campus of Texas A&M University in Commerce.

Performances will begin at 2 p.m. beginning with Mt. Vernon’s production of "The Shadow Box". Royse City will follow, and next in the lineup is Hillsboro’s production of "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail".

The competition will continue with Eustace High School’s production of "The Trojan Women". Van High School students will take the stage second at approximately 3:00 p.m.  with "The Elephant Man", followed by Lovejoy’s production of "And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson".

At the area competition, Rivers Shotwell was once again named Best Actor for his performance as John Merrick, the Elephant Man. Josh Helms who portrays Dr. Frederick Treves, the London Hospital surgeon and lecturer, who makes provisions for the well being of Merrick after discovering him in a side-show environment. Tim Calnan as Ross, the manager of the Elephant Man, and Bonnie McGowan, as the famous actress Mrs. Kendal, were named to the Area Honorable-Mention, All-Star cast for their performances.

In addition the company consists of Jake Smith, Blade Healey, Jarrod White, Matt Butler, and Josh Wallace. Other cast members include Elizabeth Wisdom, Kasi Dickerson, Emily Sliter, Danielle Puckett, Angel Wright, and Shyanne Thompson.

The company is crewed by veteran Whitney Ward as stage manager. Dale Shelton, the 2007 Conference AAA State Most Outstanding Technician, serves the company as sound master while Ben Palmer, lighting technician, and Tori Chase, special effects coordinator, complete the crew.

Larry Wisdom, director, said, "As soon as the last light and sound went down, I turned to my wife and said, ‘I could not have asked for more.’ The students gave the performance we have been working to achieve on this day. In my eyes, they all were brilliant—cast and crew alike."

The regional competition in Commerce is open to the public. Admission to the region contest is $5 per play or $15 for an all-day pass. Two schools from Region II will advance to the state finals. Van High School won the state title in 2002, 2005, and 2007, and captured third in State in 2004.