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Watkins Mill High School’s O’Shea Players won the Scene Fest Award at the Montgomery County Public Schools Theatre Festival on February 3, at Blake High School.  They gave it their all to impress everyone and to show what Watkins Mill is about.

Theatre Festival is an event where different MCPS schools come together to showcase the very best of what their schools have to offer. “It’s great to see what kids have been working on throughout the year-within our county,” senior Lenox Kamara said.

The workshops at Theatre Festival revolve around the different elements of theatre. Workshops included stage make-up, improve, stage combat, physical comedy, and more. Each workshop helps participants understand the elements of theatre. The workshops gave the students different techniques and allowed for them to hone their skills on stage.

Members of the O’Shea Players performed a medley from last year’s musical, In the Heights.  “[The Drama Club] prepared ahead of time,” senior Jyline Carranza said. “[We planned on what we] were going to sing, who was going to be in it, and who was going to dance–it took a lot of preparation to teach the cast members.”

Theatre Festival provides valuable scholarship opportunities for juniors and seniors, with several major colleges and universities attending the event. Panels from the schools interviewed several students and gave them a chance to audition on the spot. “I [participated in the] college auditions and got called back for a bunch of the Maryland schools,” Carranza added.

“My favorite part was coming together at the performance as one,” senior Gabrielle Rivera said. “There was a moment of togetherness and belief–we didn’t even know it was a competition and we got first place.”

Of the six students who auditioned for scholarships, three received callbacks. Kamara was accepted to Catholic University’s theatre program, Carranza was accepted to Catholic, Frostburg, and Salisbury Universities, and Rivera received a callback from McDaniel.

“I definitely recommend [going to Theatre Festival] to anyone who is involved or passionate about any aspect of the theatrical experience,” Rivera added.

Winning the Scene Fest award, which is given to the best scene performed, was a major accomplishment for the WMHS actors. “Considering that we were first up, that’s pretty impressive. There were ten performances from [both] middle and high schools and we won,” theatre teacher Scott Tarzwell said. “Ours was unique because ours was a montage, it wasn’t even a scene.”

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Brandon Rodriguez

The drama club performing.