Dramatic Criticism is competition theater that puts on a Fall play and a Spring play. Their fall play this year was Xanadu, a play about Greek gods and goddesses, while their Spring play will be Squad Goals, a play about auditions for a basketball team.

Theater can be a wonderful experience, but often confusing to get into. It can be daunting to those who aren’t familiar with the process, but an easy way to make new friends and learn new talents. There are plenty of options for you to take, both on-stage and backstage. When asked about working backstage, John Pannell, who controlled lights for Xanadu, answered accordingly.“Working offstage is like onstage, but it’s like a handicap. You can’t express yourself as fluidly, but you also get rid of most stage fright and other things people mostly have when they’re first starting theater”, John Pannell said.
However, if stage fright isn’t too large of a concern to you, being onstage can also be a great way to show your talent to others. Thomas Roper, who played Sonny Malone in Xanadu, stated he prefers onstage work.
“I prefer to be onstage because I love to show my acting, singing, and dancing skills,” Thomas stated, expressing the different forms of expression you can have onstage.
Plenty of people working in theater have had many memorable experiences, theater giving them the opportunity to make both great memories and new friends. Riley Easley, who is doing her second year of theater this year, comments that despite the difficult work, it’s nonetheless been very enjoyable.
“Of course, the blocking, dancing, and singing is really taxing I would say, you need to put a whole lot of work into it and it can get overwhelming at times, but I’ve had so much fun with costumes, onstage, and talking with people, and it’s overall been a great experience,” Riley answered.
You don’t have to have any experience to join theater, as it is open and welcoming to anybody who has an interest in the art. When asked about her former experience before joining Dramatic Criticism, Riley stated that up until now, she’d had none.
“My old school didn’t have theater programs so when I moved here it was a whole new can of worms to open. I never had any experience before coming here.”
Outside of school, there are multiple different opportunities that being apart of Dramatic Criticism can bring you. The National Thespian Convention, a convention for schools also participating in competitive theater, is one subject Brayden Jones, who played Melpomene in Xanadu, brings up when asked about a memorable moment. He answers,
“Getting top 3 Chapter Select in The Perfect Score, as well as the International Thespian Festival, which I feel like is what got everyone close and created friendships that will last forever.”
Some members, however, found their most memorable moments were in actual plays themselves. KJ Denton found his most memorable experience being in last year’s play, “The Play That Goes Wrong”.
“Dropping the flats was awesome because of the audience’s reaction”, he states, mentioning a scene in the play where they shock the audience by dropping all flats on stage.
Often what keeps people from joining theater is feeling too nervous, or that they don’t have experience. When asked what advice she’d give to someone interested, Ava Davenport, the student director for Xanadu, stated,
“I would say do it, and push your comfort zone, be willing to try new things but don’t let people override you by telling you what to do.”