De Pere High School’s competition one act went to state on Nov. 22 and competed with “I Don’t Want To Talk About It,” which is about everything that most teenagers go through at some point in life.
At state, they won the Critic’s Choice (the highest overall award), Outstanding Ensemble, 2 Outstanding Acting Awards (Sophia Smits and Ruby Karnz), Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Technical.
“It is a fun opportunity to be evaluated by other people so it makes you better as an actor,” said director Peter Geissler. “I think it is a great team type thing because we are usually a smaller group and we travel to different places. It is a great opportunity to see other places and see other kids that are in plays and you go, ‘Wow, this is what other schools are doing.’ It’s unique that way.”
De Pere had all three judges pass them at every competition.
“It’s less about being number one and more about being great in different categories,” said Smits, a junior.
De Pere High School has two one act groups. The first is student directed, which is typically a 15-minute piece and is performed once. Competitive one acts, typically a 40-minute long piece, travels around to different competitions.
The audience at state was packed with over 300 people who were very receptive to the show, said Geissler.
“Someone should join One Acts if they want to get an experience outside – especially when they are younger – of being an ensemble member because there are so few people in a One Act,” Smits said. “You are guaranteed to get some sort of important role. That way you can expand your acting career when it’s not a gigantic production.”
Students often stick with the One Acts for many years.
“I did it last year and I really liked the experience so why not do it this year again,” Karnz, a sophomore, said.
