The theater will participate in the district round of UIL One-Act Play on Thursday. They will perform “Edward Tulane”, the story of a toy rabbit who learns to love. Director Scott Crew said he will have a new, more artistic technique.
“I’ve never done a show like this before,” senior DaeJa Young said. “We work with environmental theatre, something Mr. Crew brought to the department this year. It’s like theater, but with your bodies and limited props. It’s an interesting way to put on a show.
Crew conducted this technique a few times before coming to Hebron and asked junior Emma Foughty and second Sophia Wheeler to help choreograph the show. The pair worked together to choreograph other shows this year, such as the school musical, “Legally Blonde.”
“It’s not completely a dance, it’s more like two figures standing [there] and move artistically,” Foughty said. “As the show progresses, it kind of becomes more of a collaborative thing. Sophia and I consult with everyone on how to move, but we all figure out what to do together.
The theater wrapped its production of “Legally Blonde” at the end of January, leaving the department just one month to rehearse for UIL. They lost four of those days in the month due to bad weather.
“It’s been stressful,” Foughty said. “We knew in advance that we wouldn’t have much time, but there was still a lot of tension because we were all panicking. It really was a process of calming down. We have all the elements [and] we are done blocking [planned stage movement] pretty quickly, but it’s still stressful. It was a challenge, but we solved it.
Most of the cast members never competed in a one-act UIL competition other than in college, which created more difficulties.
“It’s kind of a game of chance: we don’t know until we’re there,” Crew said. “It’s like a tournament. Unlike all other sports or groups and choirs, we have a chance.
This is Hebron’s first time using environmental theater, which Crew says made things more difficult. The theater has a history of advancing to state, which would give the cast two weeks to perfect technique before competing again.
“I know my kids will do their best,” Crew said. “We will do our best given the challenges we have been through. It’s a great show. The children are doing a great job and I am proud of them.
