Wyoming High School State Drama Competition Dec. 1

More than 600 students will participate in the annual Wyoming State Drama competition Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 1-3, at the University of Wyoming. The UW Department of Theatre and Dance hosts the event.

Students in grades 9-12, representing more than 25 schools, will compete in nine separate categories on the UW campus, including the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, Corbett gym, the Visual Arts Building and Washakie Center commons area. Students will compete in performance and technical design competitions.

The annual event, held since 1972, was originally the State Drama Festival, with International Thespian activities part of the festivities. In 1989, the state drama event became a competition, which is now a Wyoming High School Activities Association-scheduled event. Wyoming Educators of Secondary Theatre (WEST) sponsors the annual event. WEST supports and enhances quality theater education in Wyoming schools.

“We are happy to host all of the Wyoming high school theater students in the Department of Theatre and Dance. This event marks a great moment to showcase our renovations and state-of-the-art performing facilities,” says Margaret Wilson, department chair. “It also gives students from all over the state of Wyoming an opportunity to interact with our reputable faculty that we have in the UW Department of Theatre and Dance.”

Cecilia Aragon, UW Department of Theatre and Dance associate professor, is the Wyoming State Drama producer.

“This is one of the largest events where the UW Department of Theatre and Dance provides statewide services and stewardship to drama teachers, coaches, sponsors and students in all of Wyoming high schools,” she says. “This event offers UW theater and dance faculty an opportunity to network and recruit the best, intelligent, motivated students in Wyoming.”

Students also have the opportunity to audition, interview and display portfolios for all of the recruiting community college representatives in Wyoming and universities in the Rocky Mountain region.

An opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, begins the activities in Corbett gym. Competitions are scheduled throughout the afternoon. Competition begins at 8 a.m. both days: Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3. The awards ceremony is scheduled Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts concert hall.

Students will compete and be judged in: one-act play categories -- proscenium, arena, group and performance art; monologues -- humorous and dramatic; two-person scenes -- humorous and dramatic; scenic design; costume design; makeup design -- real and fantasy; lighting design; publicity; and original scripts -- one-act, monologue and duet.

For more information, call Aragon at (307) 766-2164 or email ccaragon@uwyo.edu.