A Star is Born

In this all-state event, students with talent, tenacity, courage and creativity perform in multiple acting categories including pantomime and musical theatre, and present projects for Tech Theatre in make-up, costume, set design and props.

When I arrive, the auditorium is churning with nervous participants and humming with energy. Tables and chairs are piled with costumes and props. Gina Hall, in her third year as a judge of the presentations, is my tour guide. Skimming by us with a cheerful greeting is the event organizer Jeannette Hunter, the Sandpoint High School drama teacher whom Hall describes as, “Awesome!” in her ability to coordinate such a massive endeavor.

A large roomful of judges listens to instructions with a gravity normally reserved for juries being addressed before they sequester themselves and arrive at a verdict. They are parents and community members, many with theatrical backgrounds, who volunteer their time for this event. Each one is tasked with completing an evaluation ballot for each performance. The judges take their job as seriously as if lives depended on it, because in a way, they do. The performances are ranked as to the top three within every round, and rated as superior, excellent, average or (rarely) not prepared. Judges are encouraged to write constructive critiques as well as compliments because, when these influential forms are given to the students, they take them in hand and take them to heart.

The performances are extraordinary to observe. The students rise above their youthful personas and become disciplined, organized participants aware of every rule and point of order. Their presentations are stringently governed by rules that control timing, specify the elements of the scene right down to the number of chairs that may be used by the actors, and protect impartiality through a participant numbering system minus school and student names. Utterly businesslike, they identify their scene and promptly arrange the skeletal “set” of chairs and perhaps a prop or two. Then they step right into their scene at full emotional pitch. The transition is radical and demonstrates endless rehearsal and hard, hard work. When it concludes, the judge may thank them but must remain unreadably neutral. The students replace the chairs, gather their props and resume their seats.

This District Drama Competition is the second in a three-part process of local, district and state competitions. Winners will travel by bus to Idaho Falls this year and participate in a two-day process of performing their piece five times in front of nine different judges. “That is draining, especially if you have a serious emotional piece,” empathizes Hall.