Recently, theatre advanced to bi-district with their one act play, Not About Nightingales, for the first time in years. The students had four months to prepare a 40 minute play, and although the competition was stiff, the Vandegrift cast excelled.

 “I think what really made the show different was that the script was beautiful and how we cut the show and made it the one act version,” senior Jack Smith said.  “All the characters are really different and unique and I think it all blended into something really different and really cool.”

The winning performance was about a group of prisoners that are fighting for better living conditions. There was also a love story between one of the prisoners and the new secretary of the jail, with the prison warden coming between them.

“I was this super creepy warden and I had never done anything like that before,” senior Brad Borman said. “I always get cast as the everyman sort of role, like I’m just kind of the guy, the stereotypical guy, but this year I got to do something that I would have never thought about. So it was a lot of fun to explore the character. To know that I can do something like that and succeed, it was nice.”

With so many complex characters, talented actors were needed to fill all of the roles. Borman and senior Halle Hill received the Honorable Mention All Star Cast and Smith received the All Star Cast awards at District and _________ at bi district.

“I really liked getting to be in a show with all of my friends and working on something together that was more intense,” Hill said “But I did think it was challenging to do an only acting role that was serious, you know, a straight play where I truly had to think about my character and my motive. That was kind of difficult for me but it was a good learning experience.”

The show also received an award for Best Technical Crew at district, despite having the only all-female crew. Madison Woodrom won the Best Technician award and said what brought the crew above and beyond the competition this year was teamwork.

“We work together so well, we’re like sisters,” Woodrum said. “These girls are my best friends, and it’s because we trust each other so much that we can count on each other to put on a good show.”

The play did not advance past bi district, but as the students move on to other productions, Woodrum said that she has a love for the show and for the theater program.

“I just can’t express how thankful I am that I was able to be a part of this production,” Woodrom said. “This show inspired me to pursue a career in theatre. It gave me a purpose. I love the feeling of coming into rehearsal everyday. It’s like coming home.”