Connally Junior High is separated from the extravagant theaters of Broadway by well over 1500 miles. The stage in that building is attached to the cafeteria and does not sport a full fledged light board, let alone an orchestra pit or a flying rig.
In spite of that, students enrolled in 6th-8th grade are excited to produce some high quality theatre this year.
For the first time since 2019, Connally Junior High will participate in the UIL One Act Play competition. The students, who are led by sixth grade math teacher Michelle Enders, will produce “10 Ways To Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” by Don Zolidis at this year’s District 23-4A Junior High One Act Play competition on January 27, 2024 at the China Spring ISD Performing Arts Center.
“I am excited to have a chance to bring back One Act Play to my campus because it gives our students a fun and educational extracurricular activity to participate in,” Enders said. “This helps them start learning some of the skills that they can use in high school theatre, but it also gives them a chance to make some great memories while they’re still at the junior high.”
Enders does not have a professional background in theatre or the performing arts. In spite of this, she was eager to step up to the plate to give students the opportunity to compete.
“Growing up, I always wanted to participate in theatre, but I never had the chance to do it,” Enders said. “I love that I am able to finally work in the world of UIL One Act Play because I know how much fun it can be. I’m excited to take this journey with my students.”
The student body showed immediate interest in participating in the contest. Many students articulated their thanks for having another avenue to showcase their talents.
“I grew up going to watch the high school’s one act plays and always loved them,” sixth grader Alina Fincher said. “I’ve always wanted to be an actress, so it was really cool to see that we could do something like this once we got to junior high. It’s been a lot of fun - the practices are a great way to end my day!”
15 students tried out for parts on the cast and crew of the production across two days of auditions. Together, they will work to build a sense of camaraderie as they work to put on the best show possible.
“Everyone is having a great time at practice,” seventh grader Samuel McDaniel said. “It’s easy for us to work hard and try our best because everyone loves the play and all of the characters. Ms. Enders does a really good job of giving us feedback to help us get better because she knows that we want to do the very best that we can.”
While CJH does not offer any theatre classes for students to take as an elective, participating in One Act Play helps them gain foundational skills in acting, design, and technical theatre. That training serves as a supreme benefit when they move on to high school.
“Bringing back junior high one act play gives us a tremendous advantage that we have not had in several years,” high school theatre director Allison Figley said. “The students that participate in the contest at the junior high level will come to the high school not only having experienced the world of UIL One Act Play, but will also have a general understanding of the performance process and fundamentals of acting and technical theatre.”
As Connally ISD places greater emphasis on building up their UIL Academics programs across the district, Junior High One Act Play represents a significant step in the right direction.
“One Act Play has the potential to produce a lot of sweepstakes points towards a district academic championship,” CISD Director of UIL Academics Michael Donaldson said. “It also provides another avenue for our students to develop skills and compete while representing their school with pride.”
As the company begins work on staging their production, they look towards their January competition performance as the end zone. They are eyeing a championship trophy as the goal, but recognize that simply entering the contest represents a giant step forward.
“We have fun every time that we come to practice,” eighth grader Jacob Pena said. “We’re learning how to communicate, how to act, and how to do better both on and off the stage. I’m competitive; I want to win. But honestly, just getting up and doing something scary and new is great.”