With months of preparation, the advanced theater class finally had the opportunity to display all of their hard work at showcase on Oct. 22. The audience was given a preview of the work students took to the Drama Teacher Association of Southern California competition, otherwise referred to as DTASC.

“Showcase was an opportunity for families, friends and fans to see the competition material that Advanced Theater took to festival last Saturday,” instructor Mrs. Hall said.

The 2013 showcase was CHS’s 34th annual and first show of the theater season. Not only was showcase a sneak-peak of their fall festival competition, but it was also a preparation for their competitive event. Showcase consisted of several short theatrical pieces that are five to eight minutes long. Students chose between eight categories to compete in.

“There are quite a variety of categories, everywhere from technical theater designs to musicals to monologues and serious pieces,” Hall said. “We took a team in all eight events. Our whole team is 39 students.”

The acts seen in Showcase were all student-based. To truly focus on the acting and scene composition, students are not allowed to use costumes, only color coordinated clothes for the performances. It is even more of a challenge because scenery is also not allowed, only four chairs can be utilized to create anything from a palace to a court room.

“We got to create our own staging and even the script,” Ridpath said. “At showcase we performed in front of an audience and see what they think of all our hard work.”

Students in advanced theater have been working really hard this year and showcase is a way for them to present their talent. Schools from all over California competed at DTASC and that provides motivation for advanced theater students to work even harder.

“It is really important we kept practicing because you never know what you are going to see from other schools,” Ridpath said. “It’s great when people come and support our performances like showcase. We like to get people involved with the theater department so it’s exciting to display what we have been working on.”

The support and hard work payed off because Oct. 26, advanced theater and advanced tech class took home fifth place sweepstakes, sets and lights won first place, graphics and publicity won fourth place, screenplay group won second place, musical group won fourth place, and radio group won seventh place. Being so successful when competing against 77 other schools throughout California, CHS drama is a force to be reckoned with.

“It is really nice to be recognized, so whether we won or lost we are all still proud of the work we have prepared,” Ridpath said. “We gave it our all and it was a lot of fun.”