Senior Caroline Alley is directing Bearden’s competitive one-act show this year with support from theatre teacher Mrs. Lauren Andrejko.
Their show “Shadow,” written by Noel Coward, is a suspenseful but comedic piece. Their show is especially technical in lighting to create abstract visuals during the show.
The group hopes to continue their successes this year, after acquiring multiple awards at last year’s state competition. Their production has placed in the top three in the state in each of the past three years.
Alley also won best actor last year.
“We kind of swept last year, and I’m hoping to do it again this year,” Alley said.
While the actors feel confident in this year’s show, they face many challenges, including lost rehearsal time.
“Our only issue is that we had a delay in deciding if we wanted to do a one act this year or not, so we are just now getting started on rehearsals,” Alley said. “Whereas in the past, we started rehearsals in early August.”
They also face challenges with sets. With their competition taking place in Nashville, their set needs to be mobile.
To make up for lost time, Alley, Mrs. Andrejko, and stage manager Addison Pratt are having many meetings to discuss the set and how to reuse prop pieces in multiple scenes.
Junior Tim Hodge, who plays George Cunningham, feels confident in the lead actors of the play.
“We are working on how we think our character would think and act, so it helps us in the moment to respond to what the other actors are saying,” he said.
Added Alley: “It is more common for dramatic pieces to win; however, last year we did a romantic comedy and won. That’s the path we are going to go, and I’m hoping to win again this year.”
Bearden theatre will perform “Shadow” in the auditorium Oct. 22. There is an optional $5 donation to the theatre department for admission.