This year’s Fall Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC) showcase was held on Oct. 10 at the Performing Arts Center (PAC). In this showcase, Advanced Theatre and Advanced Stagecraft students performed their acts with only chairs as props. This showcase was a preview of the theater competition that was held on Oct. 21 at Royal High School (RHS), where over 60 schools came and competed in various categories such as comedic, dramatic, and technical scenes. AHS took home the 1st Place Sweepstakes Award in the competition.

“What stands out at every show is the audience’s reactions. Every time you hear a gasp or laughter or applause, it’s always a pleasant surprise; it’s very validating,” said senior Agnes Ogawa, a member of Advanced Theatre.

“I think the highlight of the show was just seeing the audience members after the show. It was very rewarding to see how much they enjoyed it,” added junior Nicole Cai, another member of Advanced Theatre.

Audience members were delighted with the show and amazed by the incredible performances. It was clear that members of the cast put in a lot of hard work into their scenes—performed during the showcase were large comedy Over the Moon; technical scenes of Haunting of the Hill House, Carrie, and Night of the Dead; Look Ma, No Chairs (straight cut) Metamorphoses; monologues The Buffer/Metamorphoses and Miss Julie/Incendiary; small screen The Twilight Zone; large group drama A Streetcar Named Desire; Shaw Gone Wilde; and musical Across the Universe.

The preparation for the show was “so stressful, but we had a lot of fun. We’re lucky to have some of the best directors who can work with you in a way that’s efficient and effective, and make room for some laughs,” said Ogawa.

Having to stay after school for practice, pulling all-nighters to do homework, adding extra rehearsals, and persevering through minor injuries were just some things that the cast underwent.

“There were a lot of changes made to our blocking while preparing for our show,” said Cai who performed a small screen—an adaptation of a television episode—of The Twilight Zone. “So I was worried that I was going to forget it. I was very excited for what the audience would think of our show. Especially because we worked really hard for it.”

The cast members had a lot of respect for all the different types of performances they put on. Each one had its own unique style and energy, and the cast members enjoyed the challenge of mastering their performances. They were proud of the hard work they put in to make each performance the best it could be.

“Large group comedy has made me laugh every time, even when I’m at my lowest,” explained Ogawa. “Small screen TV is also well done; I love The Twilight Zone so it’s interesting to see it be translated into a DTASC scene. Both of those are directed by Sean [Monge]. Then the musical category, Across the Universe, chills. The falls, the war and anti-war or nationalist imagery, the vocals and harmonies, it all works so well.”

On top of the effort that cast members have put in, the directors, stagecraft members, and other staff also played a huge role in the success of the showcase.

“The experience is just fantastic as we all had so much fun rehearsing and connecting to our characters,” said senior Kara Lin, a member of Advanced Theatre. “I’m super proud of everyone in this showcase for their hard work and also am grateful for having our directors and Mr. Volpe who really supported us so much during the process.”

Congratulations to Arcadia Stage for the win! Make sure to support theater and stagecraft students in their upcoming shows as they progress in their careers!

Photo courtesy of Arcadia Stage