Every year the Virginia High School League hosts the Super Regional One Acts, a competition for high schools across Virginia to compete for a spot at states. Clover Hill’s theater department has been a competitor for years. On Feb. 14th, the cast for this year’s One Act competed at J.R. Tucker High School against seven other schools in their region.
The One Act Competition, however, is not just a platform to try and win. The experience from the start of rehearsals to competing on stage is an outlet for passionate actors and directors to tell stories, show their work, and appreciate the performances.
In years past, Clover Hill has been a prominent competitor within the district. Clover Hill’s One Act this year, is called “The Yellow Wallpaper” and is a story commenting on the patriarchal and misogynistic ideologies that silenced and overlooked women and their mental health for decades. Director and theater teacher Carli Wilkerson directed the one act and thought Clover Hill’s participation impacted the theater department.
“It [the One Act Competition] has made me more competitive as a person. To be completely honest, every year I say I’m out for blood and I’m not really joking, I mean obviously I wouldn’t hurt anybody, but I want people to see how talented these kids are,” Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson spoke about the competition and how its importance has developed and fostered a stronger sense of ambition and over the course of the department’s history.
“I think that for a long time we didn’t have that [competitiveness] here, so it’s something I take a lot of pride in and I know the kids take a lot of pride in as well,” Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson also talked about the achievements that the theater and actors have made at the One Acts in past years; taking home placings and individual awards and how this has continued to be a driving factor in their goals for the competition.
“The last three years we’ve had the best actor in the district here at Clover Hill, which is a really big deal. We’ve been to states, got second at states, and I want to go back to states, that’s always the goal,” Wilkerson said.
Senior Luke Arnold, a returning actor to the One Act Competition said that the competition environment is also a space where the actors get to work outside of their comfort zone and outside of conventional plays to push the boundaries of their ability.
“It [the One Act competition] gives me a space where I have to push myself to my limits and do the best that I can,” Arnold said.
Arnold also shared how the one act environment impacted his acting and perspective on his overall performance.
“Participating in the One Act Competition has changed the way I view myself with performing.” Arnold said. “I think more in depth about every movement and delivery, more so than I did before.”
He further elaborated on how the unique experience of watching other actors in the same environment has helped him grow as an actor.
“I’ve gotten the opportunity to learn and improve my acting abilities from watching the other schools perform; seeing other talented people perform helps you perform better yourself,” Arnold said.
The event not only serves as the stage where schools are pitted against each other, but simultaneously, one to experience a sense of community amongst theaters.
“It’s one of the only times in the year that I get to meet with a community of people that are like me,” Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson continued to speak on how she felt the competition community benefited her students by exposing them to the variety of performances and other actors.
“For the kids I think it’s just good to see a comparison but also what are people working on and what do they have to offer versus what we have to offer, and I think that’s really important for young minds,” Wilkerson said. “It also gives [the students] the chance to meet kids from another school that do something very similar to [them].”
Arnold also gave his view on the event being a space to share and appreciate the differences in performances and stories told by the other theaters in the community.
“Watching the other schools put on their shows is incredibly enjoyable and insightful into their [the other school’s] perspective. Every school does things differently, so it’s nice to see all of those differences displayed in the shows,” Arnold said.
The one acts have not only become a source of pride and an outlet of passion for Clover Hill’s theatre department, but also created a sense of community for those involved throughout the region. The collection of performances gives back to the community through dramatic and entertaining stories.
